The new health centre at Dharampur, which was demolished to make way for a road widening project, has still not been rebuilt. The state government has provided only a small portion of the money needed for the construction, leaving the project stuck for years.
Dharampur Hospital Reconstruction Faces Major Funding Gap
The health department has given the Public Works Department (PWD) in Kasauli only Rs 1.98 crore earlier and Rs 2 crore recently. This adds up to about Rs 3.98 crore, but the new hospital building is estimated to cost Rs 17 crore. That means the government has provided less than a quarter of the total funds required.
According to The Tribune, Executive Engineer of Kasauli, Gurminder Rana, confirmed the funding situation. He said the health department had granted the amounts to the PWD for the construction of the new hospital building.
PWD Rules and Fund Shortage Delay Dharampur Health Centre Work
Under the earlier norms, the PWD would invite tenders once 30 per cent of the total required funds were made available. For this project, that would mean about Rs 5.1 crore. The current funding of roughly Rs 3.98 crore falls short of even that threshold.
The situation is made worse by the government's overall financial constraints. PWD officials have been given strict instructions not to start new works until the full funds are available. They have also been told to consider moving funds to incomplete projects of the same nature.
"The health department had granted Rs 1.98 crore earlier and Rs 2 crore recently to the PWD for the construction of a new building of the hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 17 crore." — Gurminder Rana, Executive Engineer, Kasauli
What This Means for Dharampur Residents
The delay in rebuilding the health centre directly affects the local community. Residents of Dharampur have been without their health facility since it was demolished for the road widening project. The lack of progress means they continue to face difficulties accessing medical services in the area.
The gap between the funds provided and the estimated cost is substantial. With only about 23 per cent of the required money available, the project cannot move forward under the current rules. The government's directive to prioritise incomplete projects over new ones adds another layer of uncertainty to the timeline.
Our Take: Fund Allocation Must Match Project Needs
To put it plainly, this situation shows a clear mismatch between what a project costs and what the government is willing to spend. The Dharampur health centre was demolished for a public purpose — road widening — but the replacement facility has been left in limbo.
In our view, the government needs to either release the full funds required or revise the project scope to match the available budget. Leaving a health centre unbuilt for years is not acceptable, especially when the demolition was done for another public infrastructure project. The residents of Dharampur deserve a clear timeline and a commitment to complete this essential facility without further delay.
Sources: The Tribune