Two years into building, nursing institute not opened

Two years into construction of a nursing institute in the district town, it is yet to become operational, thanks to the negligence of the authorities concerned.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is not handing over the three-storey building due to lack of power and water supply, sources said.

The health ministry and Diabetic Association of Bangladesh in 2013 took a joint project to build the 200-seated nursing institute at a cost of Tk 17. 97 crore. It is a public private partnership (PPP) project.

The government has funded Tk 14.29 crore while the rest of the amount was funded by Pabna Diabetic Association for construction of the nursing institute.

It was scheduled to complete construction work of the three-storey building in 2018. It ended in December the same year.

On January 15 in 2014, the Public Works Department issued work order to the contractor for construction of the nursing institute in Pabna Diabetic Association.

Later, Zinnat Ali Zinna construction firm got the work order.

According to the district health department and Pabna Diabetic Association, although construction of the nursing institute was completed in 2018, the building is still awaiting its finishing touch. So, the institute is yet to be opened.

Construction of the three-storey building ended within the scheduled time but the PWD did not hand over the building in the last two years as the finishing touches on the building are yet to be completed, said Md Baby Islam, president of Pabna Diabetic Association.

As electric and power supply lines to the building are yet to be connected, the PWD cannot hand over it, he said.

Meanwhile, the colour and decoration of the newly-built building are being damaged due to lack of maintenance, Baby Islam said.

The PWD has extended the time for the project till June, 2019 but they did not complete the work within the time. Later, the deadline for completion of the construction work was extended till June this year but one percent of the finishing touches on the building is yet to be completed.

Due to the negligence of the authority, the nursing institute is yet to become operational, said Baby Islam, adding that recently, a letter has been sent to the ministry of health, letting it know about the slow progress of the construction work.

Pabna PWD Executive Engineer Anwarul Azim said the work of electrical wearing and water supply to the building is yet to be completed. They are expecting to finish the work very soon.

They are expecting to hand over the newly-constructed building to Pabna Diabetic Association within this year, he said.