Srinagar, Feb 18: The Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital building at Sarnal in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has been declared unsafe, and the government has no plans to conduct a fresh safety audit because retrofitting the structure would cost more than constructing a new facility, government told the House on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question, the government said, “Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital building at Sarnal Anantnag has been declared unsafe by IIT Jammu vide report dated 07-06-2021.”
The reply added that there is currently no proposal to conduct a safety audit of the building.
“As of now, there is no proposal for conducting Safety Audit of the building as retrofitting cost of the existing building surpasses the cost for construction of New Building as suggested by NIT Srinagar,” the government said.
It further cited an assessment by the Design Inspection and Quality Control wing and the Chief Engineer, Public Works (Roads and Buildings) South Kashmir, stating that the structure is not viable.
“Besides, the report of the DIQC/Chief Engineer, PW (R&B) South, Kashmir, indicates that the existing building structure has been assessed as non-viable, notwithstanding the retrofitting cost estimated at around Rs 37.00 crore,” the reply said.
The Health and Medical Education Department took over the Rehmat-I-Alam Hospital from a local trust (Rehmat I – Alam) in 2017, including its assets and liabilities.
This acquisition was part of an initiative launched in 2015 to relocate the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) from its unsafe and congested Sherbagh premises to the KP Road facility.
However, 11 years later, the project remains incomplete, with construction stalled for over five years.
The original structure, comprising two floors built by the trust two decades ago, was slated for expansion with two additional floors.
Initially, the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Department commenced construction before transferring the project to the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCC) and later to Public Works Department (PWD)- R&B.
Despite multiple setbacks, the departments nearly completed the structure, spending Rs 6 crore out of the sanctioned Rs 13 crore.
However, minor portions, including parts of the truss, remained unfinished when the work was halted due to safety concerns.
In response to safety concerns, IIT Jammu was tasked with conducting an audit of the building at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.
After a year-long study, the institute concluded that the structure failed to meet safety criteria. It recommended retrofitting and jacketing of vital beams and columns on the first two floors.
A subsequent audit by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, conducted with a budget of Rs 23 lakh, confirmed similar findings.
The initial estimated cost of strengthening the structure was Rs 6.5 crore, later revised to Rs 8.5 crore by the Design Inspection Quality Control (DIQC) department, which also recommended reinforcing underground work.
JKPCC later projected a total cost of Rs 20 crore, including retrofitting, electrical, mechanical, and interior finishing work.
In May 2023, the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department granted administrative approval to strengthen the building and complete pending work.
The department outlined the costs at Rs 18.57 crore for pending construction and Rs 6.51 crore for shear walls, jacketing, and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs).
However, no further progress was made.
With JKPCC now defunct, the Public Works Department (PWD) took over the project and re-estimated the cost, adding Rs 37 crore for retrofitting, central heating installation, and finishing work.
An official said that restarting the work would require revised administrative approval.
“Yes the building does not meet post-2005 earthquake safety standards for hospital use and needs strengthening,” the official said.
He expressed concerns over the apparent waste of Rs 13 crore spent so far.
Given that the hospital has around 30 Kanals of land, officials believe it remains a viable site for future healthcare expansion.
“The health department should take ownership of the structure and put it to appropriate use,” an official said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government is now planning to construct a 249-bedded Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) in Anantnag, in the premises of Mrza Afzal Beg Memorial- (MAMB)- GMC Anantnag Janglatmandi hospital premises.
