Srinagar, Apr 11, KNT: In a significant development concerning public healthcare infrastructure, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has directed the Chief Engineer, Public Works Department (PWD) (R&B), Jammu to submit a detailed proposal for ensuring safe and seamless connectivity between Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, and its associated hospitals. The directive comes in response to repeated pleas from the Principal and Dean of GMC, highlighting the risks patients and medical staff face while crossing a busy road that separates these key medical institutions.
The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising the then Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan (retired on April 9) and Justice M.A. Chowdhary while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 16/2018) filed by RTI activist Balwinder Singh. The PIL originally aimed to highlight the shortage of medical personnel in far-flung areas of the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh but has since expanded to address broader healthcare issues, including infrastructure.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed argued that despite multiple communications from GMC authorities dating back to June 2023, the Chief Engineer had failed to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a flyover or underpass that would connect GMC with the Bone & Joint Hospital, Chest Diseases Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, and the upcoming Critical Care Block. Ahmed noted that even after express court directions issued on March 24, 2025, the concerned official neither submitted the DPR nor appeared in court, reflecting a “complete disregard” for public safety.
Senior Additional Advocate General (AAG) S.S. Nanda, representing the UT of J&K, informed the court that the Chief Engineer was now present and had filed a compliance report. The report outlined a preliminary proposal involving the construction of a flyover from Pawan Ice Cream to Shakuntla Theatre with links to Maheshpura Chowk and direct access to the GMC and associated hospitals. However, the project remains at the conceptual stage pending finalisation of alignment and site feasibility studies.
Upon reviewing the submission, the Division Bench noted the scale and complexity of the proposed infrastructure, acknowledging it as a time-consuming initiative. Nonetheless, the Bench stressed the urgency of the matter and reiterated its directive for a DPR to be prepared specifically for patient and staff connectivity, referencing the GMC’s numerous appeals to the PWD.
The court also directed the Chief Engineer to file an updated compliance report addressing those communications and exempted his personal appearance until further orders. Given the public interest and critical nature of the issue, the matter has been scheduled for further hearing on April 30, 2025. [KNT]
