4 years on, Panchrukhi’s half-built PHC stands idle

The dream of a fully functional Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Panchrukhi, just 15 km from Palampur, continues to remain unfulfilled even after four years of construction. Despite the foundation stone being laid in 2021 with much fanfare, the building today stands as an incomplete frame, an abandoned promise to the nearly 50,000 people who depend on it for healthcare.

The project, sanctioned under the previous BJP government, was projected to be completed within two years. However, with the change of government in 2022 and subsequent budgetary constraints, the work has crawled to a halt. The Public Works Department (PWD), which is executing the project, has cited lack of funds as the primary reason for the delay.

According to official sources, the contract for the PHC building was awarded at Rs 3.79 crore, but only Rs 2.25 crore has been released so far. Of this, the most recent installment of Rs 50 lakh was paid in March 2025, merely to clear pending bills of the contractor. To complete the building, including roofing, finishing works and installation of power systems, an additional Rs 1.50 crore is urgently required.

Local residents are deeply disillusioned. Many recall that the PHC was once notified as a civil hospital, only for the notification to be later withdrawn. “It feels like our healthcare needs are being ignored by successive governments,” said a villager, pointing out that the unfinished building now stands as a stark reminder of neglect.

In the absence of proper facilities, emergencies often turn tragic. Patients, sometimes critically ill, are referred to Tanda Medical College or the Palampur Civil Hospital, both of which are miles away. Residents complain that there is “no one to attend to emergencies” at the Panchrukhi centre, leaving families helpless in times of crisis.

Ten panchayats of the area recently submitted a joint memorandum to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Health Minister Yadvinder Goma, urging them to not only complete the construction but also upgrade the PHC to a 30-bed Civil Hospital. They argue that such a facility would drastically reduce referrals and save lives in critical cases.

For now, the skeletal frame of the Panchrukhi PHC stands in silence, caught between political promises and financial excuses, while thousands of villagers wait for the care they were promised.