Rs 15 Cr development funds lapse at GMC Baramulla amid planning failures

Baramulla, May 8: The authorities at the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla have come under scrutiny over poor planning and financial mismanagement as Rs 15 crore earmarked for key developmental works for the year 2025-26 have got lapsed.

The move has exposed the ill planning, lack of coordination, and poor administration at the premier healthcare institute in north Kashmir.

An official said that the funds were sanctioned during the financial year for the execution of key developmental projects, but the funds got lapsed due to poor administration.

“These funds were meant for drainage infrastructure, Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), and Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) besides other projects. Ironically, the funds remained unutilised and got lapsed,” the official told Greater Kashmir.

Due to this, GMC Baramulla is grappling with a worsening sanitation crisis owing to the non availability of a proper drainage system.

The drainage system outside the hostel blocks of the college has got blocked and no efforts are being made to repair it.

“The drainage system near canteen and hostel area is out of order. This problem is getting aggravated due to non availability of proper ETP and STP. The Planning Department and the administration delay the approvals as a result of which the funds got lapsed,” the official said.

He said the a drug de-addiction centre was to be established at the institute but the poor planning was playing a spoilsport.

“Though the officers claim to get it established, but the process is very slow,” the official said.

He said that the hospital lacks mortuary block but no work had been done in this regard so far.

The inter-connected roads of the different departments of GMC Baramulla are lying in shambles while the GMC administration has not started work on any new developmental project.

In October last year, Greater Kashmir reported that a blood carrier van sanctioned in February 2025 was yet to be procured by the GMC Baramulla.

The funds worth Rs 36 lakh were granted to GMC Baramulla out of the grants released to Baramulla (Aspirational District) under NITI Aayog for the procurement of the Van.

However, the van is yet to be procured despite the passage of around seven months.

In October, Principal GMC Dr Majid Jahangir told Greater Kashmir that the procurement was in its final stage.

However, despite the passage of seven months, the blood van is yet to be procured.

Another concern at GMC is the delayed process in hiring of academic arrangement staff.

“The staff is not hired on time which aggravates the problems at the hospital,” the official told Greater Kashmir.

“GMC Baramulla is marred by the lack of coordination and poor planning,” he said. Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo told Greater Kashmir that the issue would be looked into. “I will take it up with the GMC officials and ascertain the reasons why the funds have not been utilised,” she told Greater Kashmir.