GMC Relocation Sparks Fury. BJP, JKNC Threaten Agitation in Handwara

GMC Relocation Sparks Fury

BJP, JKNC Threaten Agitation in Handwara

  

Tarique Raheem 

Handwara, Aug 16:

 Political tensions are running high in Handwara and Langate over the relocation of the Government Medical College (GMC) from Handwara, with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) threatening escalated protests if the decision is not reversed.

 

The BJP units of Handwara and Langate have launched demonstrations, issuing a two-day ultimatum to the administration. They have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene directly, noting that the GMC project was e-inaugurated by the Home Minister himself. Calling the relocation a “brazen betrayal of the Centre’s own promise to the people of Handwara,” BJP leaders warned of an indefinite hunger strike if the order is not rolled back.

 

Party leaders also accused Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani of “arrogant and dictatorial conduct,” alleging that he pressured officials and even coerced the Health Minister to favour an “unsuitable site.” According to locals, a government committee led by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir — with Kupwara DC Ayushi Sudan and senior engineers from R&B, PHE, Agriculture, and Horticulture had recommended three fully feasible, state-owned sites at Kulangam, Chogul, and Handwara, requiring no land purchase. Despite this, they allege, the panel’s report was ignored in favour of a location lacking basic road access, water supply, and electricity.

 

“When the Health Minister’s team visited Kupwara on August 14, they drove straight to Nutnussa without inspecting the three shortlisted sites,” residents said. “People were waiting along the roadside to guide them to Kulangam, Chogul and Handwara, but the convoy bypassed them entirely.”

 

The discontent is not limited to the BJP. JKNC workers in Handwara and Langate have also condemned the decision, calling it a betrayal of public trust. The entire unit has threatened mass resignations if the relocation is not reversed.

Retired lecturer Farooq Ahmad Malik dismissed the government’s explanation as “unconvincing.”

“Countries build bridges across seas and skyscrapers on marshland. Are we to believe our engineers cannot control a seasonal stream? The flood excuse is a smokescreen,” Malik said.

 

Senior JKNC leader and former minister Chowdhury Mohammad Ramzan travelled from Srinagar to meet the party cadre, attempting to calm tempers. However, anger remains high, with many workers openly demanding an immediate rollback of the order “in the larger interest of Handwara’s future.”

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