Delegation meets CS, urges retention of GMC Handwara site

Srinagar, Aug 19: A delegation led by social activist Mir Junaid on Tuesday met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atul Dulloo, pressing the government to retain the Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara at its originally approved Gund Chogal site near District Hospital Handwara.The delegation, representing residents of Langate and Handwara, argued that shifting the project to Nutnusa would waste public funds, delay healthcare, and risk violation of National Medical Commission (NMC) norms. GMC Handwara, sanctioned in 2019 with Rs 325 crores, was e-inaugurated by the Union Home Minister in 2021 and later expanded in 2024 with a nursing college and hostel. It is designed to offer 250 MBBS seats, 1,100 beds, and nursing facilities for north Kashmir’s rural and tribal communities.“We explained that this is not an abstract issue but tied to real lives the students aspiring for medical careers, the elderly seeking dependable healthcare, and families who see the college as an anchor of progress,” Junaid said after the meeting. The Chief Secretary assured full cooperation,” Junaid said.The delegation stressed that the Gund Chogal site meets NMC’s requirement of being within 10 km of the teaching hospital. They said waterlogging risks could be addressed with engineering solutions like dredging and retaining walls at under Rs 10 crores, citing examples such as SKIMS Bemina in Srinagar and Darbhanga Medical College in Bihar, both operational in flood-prone areas.By contrast, they said, relocation to Nutnusa would exceed distance norms, add over Rs 50 crores in costs, involve land encumbrances, and risk NMC derecognition. “GMC Handwara must rise where it was approved close to the people, integrated with the hospital, and true to its original purpose,” the delegation declared.