PESHAWAR, Nov 14: Construction of the first-ever burns hospital in Peshawar suffered a setback when the city development and municipal department asked the contractor to stop work on the project. The former district nazim, Mr Azam Afridi, had sanctioned the 70-bed burns hospital for the city and about three kanals of land had been allotted.

Initially, the district government had allocated Rs15 million, of a total estimated cost of Rs70 million, for the seven-storey building, and later Chief Minister Akram Durrani released an additional Rs10 million to expedite work on the project.

“The city government floated tenders for the project twice, but no party showed interest because of harsh conditions. Finally, a construction company accepted the tender on compassionate grounds,” said a source.

After completion of formalities, consultants were hired from Lahore who carried out designing work on the project, which was formally started some two months ago. The first phase of the project included basement, ground, first and second floors, with one year set for completion.

So far an amount of Rs7 million has been spent on the hospital, but the new district nazim, Haji Ghulam Ali, visited the site on October 18, a day after taking oath of office and ordered the contractor to stop work on the project. The contractor demanded written directives.

The construction work continued till November 9, but a telephone call from the CDMD prompted the contractor to stop work.

The sources said that the buildings and structures in the area had been completed after getting due approval from municipal authorities and that “it was a conspiracy to stop construction of the hospital and pave way for building a commercial centre”.

A source closely following the project said that the district nazim had approached the chief minister, complaining that his orders regarding the stoppage of construction work on the hospital were not being implemented.

The chief minister directed the CDMD to present him a report about the project.

Sources said that it had been a 15-year-long struggle by doctors and those associated with the Burn Care Society that had succeeded in getting work on the first burns hospital launched.

People are rushed to Khariah, quite a distant place, for the treatment of burn injuries, and many succumb to their wounds before reaching there. Some don’t even find means to transport their patients there.

District Nazim Ghulam Ali, when approached, said that the city government had planned widening of the Circular Road for which it needed to remove constructions from the area within 20 feet.

“A dual road will be constructed from Ramdas to GT Road for which we are removing structures,” he said.