Team Herald
PONDA: Collem locals have urged the government to complete the long-delayed upgradation of the rural health centre, which has been under construction for the past six years.
Residents blasted the authroities for the indifferent attitude towards ailing patients and senior citizens who they said had to travel to distant places to seek treatment.
Vasudev Ganjekar, a local resident recalled that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had promised last year that the project would be completed within three months. However, one year has passed, and there has been no significant progress. “Even for minor health issues, we are forced to travel 30 km to Pilem, Tisk-Usgao Hospital,” he said.
According to the residents, the rural medical centre was initially established in Collem in 1984. Recognising the growing healthcare needs of the local population, the government laid the foundation stone for the hospital’s upgradation in 2018. The event was attended by the late former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, along with Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, the then MLA and GSIDC chairman Deepak Prabhu Pauskar, and GSIDC chairman Sidharth Kuncolienkar.
Despite the foundation stone being laid six years ago, the work remains incomplete. Govind Shigaonkar, Sarpanch of Collem-Shigao, expressed his concern over the delay, stating, “It has been six years, and the 10-bed hospital is still unfinished. The contractor is not responding to the panchayat, despite repeated demands from villagers in every gram sabha meeting for the hospital to be completed as soon as possible.”
He stressed the importance of the hospital for the surrounding remote villages. “The completion of this hospital would benefit residents from the four panchayats in Dharbandora taluka: Sacorda, Collem, Mollem, and Kallem. This facility is especially crucial for accident victims. If an accident occurs on the Mollem-Anmod route, patients must currently be transported for 30 kms to Pilem Usgao, which can be life-threatening,” he explained.
Expressing his frustration, Shigaonkar warned that if the work is not completed soon, he is willing to organise a public demonstration. “If necessary, I am prepared to take to the streets along with the people to demand the hospital’s completion. Even the poorest residents should have access to medical facilities in times of need,” he stated.
He also mentioned that the local MLA had been requested to raise the issue in the Assembly, urging the government to act swiftly to complete the project and provide much-needed healthcare services to the region.