SIALKOT, Feb 23: The burn unit project at the Government Allama Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital is in the doldrums as the finance department has refused to provide the required funds to the health department for some unknown reasons.

Some four years ago, then district nazim Mian Naeem Javaid had announced the establishment of the burn unit with an estimated cost of Rs20 million. For this purpose, he had also laid the foundation stone at the proposed site six months after his announcement, but since then the work has not been taken in hand.

Health officials said the then district government could neither generate the required funds nor able to get the PC-1 for the early establishment of the proposed burn unit which was aimed to provide advanced medical cover to burn patients at the local level.

They said although this project was in the larger public interest, the present district government also seemed to be equally disinterested in the venture.

Meanwhile, District Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema said that such a public welfare-oriented project would be included in the next annual development programme. He said every effort would be made to get the needed funds allocated from provincial and district governments.

Expressing their concern over the present state of affairs, social and political circles have urged the provincial and district governments to initiate the project without any delay.

It may be mentioned that all the burnt patients have to move to Gujranwala, Lahore or Islamabad for the treatment in the absence of any burn unit facility in the entire Sialkot district.

UNDERPASS: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has announced the construction of an underpass along railway level-crossing near Allama Iqbal Chowk.

Addressing a meeting of heads of main trade bodies at Sialkot Fort, Tehsil Nazim Imtiazuddin Dar said that the underpass would help solve traffic jams in the city.

He said the project would be completed with the collaboration of the local business community.