Junaid Mir led delegation meets CS, discusses GMC Handwara relocation

In the spirit of reasoned discourse and shared national purpose, a delegation led by Mir Junaid, representing the residents of Langate and Handwara—from aspiring youth eager to pursue medical vocations, to elders seeking dependable healthcare, and families across generations looking for upliftment— convened to reaffirm our firm commitment to the timely establishment of Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara at its originally sanctioned site. Approved in 2019 under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme with an allocation of ?325 crores, this project reflects India’s focused investment in narrowing healthcare gaps and expanding educational opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir’s northern frontier. E-inaugurated by the Hon’ble Union Home Minister in 2021, and later expanded with a nursing college and hostel by the Hon’ble Union Health Minister in 2024, GMC Handwara is designed to accommodate 250 annual MBBS admissions, 1,100 functional beds, and a nursing program that will directly benefit tribal and rural populations through medical training and service delivery.

According to statement, the delegation held a substantive meeting with Atul Dulloo, IAS, Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In this exchange, conducted with professionalism and mutual respect, we placed before him a detailed analysis of the concerns raised by the proposed relocation of GMC Handwara to a site more than 10 kilometers from District Hospital Handwara. These concerns are not abstract—they are tied to real lives: the students envisioning careers in medicine, the elderly who have waited decades for access to advanced care, and the families who view the college as an anchor of progress in a region where healthcare access and transport connectivity remain sensitive issues. We explained the risks of delay, the waste of public funds, and the potential violation of National Medical Commission (NMC) standards, while stressing our faith in the institutions of governance to uphold the public interest. The Chief Secretary listened attentively and assured full cooperation, which has strengthened local confidence that the matter will be addressed responsibly.

Our position is anchored in NMC regulations, particularly the “Minimum Standard Requirements for the Medical College for 250 Admissions Annually Regulations, 1999” (amended to 2018), which mandate a campus within 10 kilometers of its teaching hospital in hilly regions. The Gund Chogal site, near District Hospital Handwara, fits these requirements and allows for integrated teaching, housing, interdepartmental coordination, and shared facilities such as libraries and waste-management systems—all essential for a proper medical college. Site-specific issues, including waterlogging or floods, can be resolved through engineering measures like dredging and retaining walls, at a cost below ?10 crores. India’s own experience proves this approach: SKIMS Bemina in Srinagar was restored after the 2014 floods without relocation; Darbhanga Medical College in Bihar continues despite annual flooding; and major national projects such as the Purvanchal Expressway have used cost-efficient floodproofing methods instead of shifting locations.

By contrast, moving the college to Nutnussa violates multiple requirements: it exceeds the permissible distance, disconnects the teaching hospital from the college, undermines rural training obligations, raises the cost by more than ?50 crores for utilities and land acquisition, and exposes the project to environmental clearance delays, litigation, and possible NMC derecognition. Land encumbrances, including existing CSIR lavender cultivation, further complicate the process and could invite audit and legal scrutiny. In short, relocation jeopardizes both the schedule and the credibility of the project.

Beyond technicalities, the project carries a moral weight: for young people it is an opening into service and innovation; for the elderly it means dependable healthcare; for families it represents fairness and stability in a region long underserved. Any attempt to shift the site risks betraying these expectations and turning a national commitment into a political gamble.

The Chief Secretary’s assurances today offer a way forward. We call for immediate constitution of expert committees for distance verification, soil and flood testing, and security evaluation, followed by resumption of work at the sanctioned site. GMC Handwara must rise where it was approved—close to the people, integrated with the hospital, and true to its original purpose as a government commitment to education and healthcare in Kashmir.

About the Delegation

Led by Mir Junaid on behalf of the residents of Langate and Handwara, this initiative seeks to secure healthcare and educational justice for the region in alignment with India’s broader development vision.(KNS)