Tale of a still-born hospital...

Built 20 years back, Rs 1 crore spent, 30-bedded hospital at garbera

never opened, now crumbling into ruins

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 19: It happens only in Assam.

In 1993, the then minister and local MLA Gopith Das had laid the foundation stone of a 30-bedded hospital at garbera of Boko in Kamrup district. The construction of the Rs 1-crore hospital was completed in 1996. Twenty years on, the hospital is yet to become functiol.

The gates of the hospital were never opened nor any medical staff appointed there. Now, the building is showing signs of crumbling into ruins.

Even if the government wishes to make the hospital operatiol now, it will have to undertake a lot of renovation works, locals pointed out.

They said the hospital could have benefitted some 3 lakh people living in the areas along the Kamrup-Barpeta border.

There is a block PHC near the hospital site, where there are two doctors, but the health centre lacks modern facilities.

Due to lack of better health-care facilities, the patients of south Chenga, south Baghbor and other adjoining areas of garbera have to come all the way to Guwahati.

Former minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman was told about the plight of the new hospital and he had even assured the locals that the government would do the needful, but the hospital remains non-functiol.

"The new government needs to immediately take steps to make the hospital functiol. Else all the public money put into the project will go down the drain," said a local.