GMC Handwara: A Blatant Case of Petty Politics at the Cost of Public Interest
It is an orchestrated attempt to hijack a Central Government project whose foundation stone was laid by none other than the Hon’ble Home Minister of India, Shri Amit Shah ji.
Mir Junaid
What is unfolding with the Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara is not a technical or environmental concern. It is an orchestrated attempt to hijack a Central Government project whose foundation stone was laid by none other than the Hon’ble Home Minister of India, Shri Amit Shah ji purely to satisfy the shallow political ego of a newly installed dispensation.
Let the facts speak:
- GMC Handwara was approved in 2019 by the Central Government under the explicit vision of expanding medical education and infrastructure in North Kashmir.
- A total of ₹325 crores was sanctioned for its infrastructure, out of which ₹40 crores has already been spent on the construction of various buildings at the Gund Chogal site.
- The medical college has been functioning from rented accommodations for the past three years, inconveniencing both students and faculty.
- Construction was ongoing at full pace until recently, before the elected government abruptly declared the approved site as flood prone. This is a post facto justification manufactured purely to shift the project so that a new foundation stone can be laid by the Hon’ble Chief Minister rewriting history and erasing the role of the Home Minister.
This is not governance. This is state sponsored political revisionism.
The Gund Chogal site did not become flood prone overnight. If this claim holds any merit, then why did the previous administrations issue NOCs, approve plans, and allow construction for years? If the area is unsuitable now, those who want to shift it including Omar Abdullah’s cabinet and some bureaucrats involved must be held accountable. Their salaries must reimburse the public exchequer for the ₹40 crores wasted. This is not their family wealth. This is the people’s tax money.
Moreover, let us not insult our own engineering capabilities. If India can build highways through the Himalayas and stop river water flowing into Pakistan, then a minor flood channel at Handwara can easily be managed through dredging and widening at a cost of less than ₹5 crores as personally confirmed by me from engineers of many departments.
So let us ask the real question. Is this about public safety or about who gets to hold the ceremonial shovel?
The people of Langate and adjoining areas are not fools. I have met them, spoken to them, listened to them. They are deeply proud of the fact that this project was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Home Minister of India. They see his visit, his foundation stone, and his vision as a historic investment in their future. They will not tolerate its erasure by political opportunists.
The Hon’ble Home Minister is not just a ceremonial figure in this matter. He is the architect of this vision. And the people of North Kashmir expect that vision to be defended, not diluted.
If GMC Handwara is shifted now, it will be a betrayal not of a location but of governance based on continuity, accountability, and respect for national level commitments. A CBI investigation should be initiated to expose this sabotage, and every official who certified this project, issued clearances, and now declares it flood prone must be publicly named and legally scrutinized.
This is a test not of architecture but of political integrity.
The question before us is simple. Will the GMC in Handwara rise where the Hon’ble Home Minister laid its foundation or will it be moved only so that a new face can claim credit?
Let the answer be firm, patriotic, and uncompromising.
The lesson is clear. In India, difficult terrain or flood conditions are met with innovation, not abandonment. Projects are protected, not sacrificed. Relocation is not a governance tool. It is an admission of political failure.
(The author is President at Jammu & Kashmir Workers Party)
