Jammu, March 11: A heated exchange erupted in the J&K Legislative Assembly on Tuesday between Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone and National Conference (NC) legislators over the establishment of Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara.
During Question Hour, NC MLAs Mir Saifullah, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, and Javed Mirchal advocated for setting up the medical college between Handwara and Kupwara. Sajad Lone, however, emphasized the urgency of ensuring that the allocated funds were utilized and did not lapse.
Responding to Lone’s concerns, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Ittoo stated that she had already approached the Centre regarding the extension of funding. Lone pressed for an update, insisting that the government clarify whether there had been any response to her request.
Lone also claimed that he had faced criticism from political rivals for securing the medical college for the region. As NC members attempted to counter him, he accused the party of diverting an engineering college from Kupwara, referencing a project initially sanctioned in 2014 during the NC-led government but later shifted to Safapora Sonawari.
The debate intensified as Lone accused the NC of politicizing the issue, leading to a verbal clash with Minister Sakina Ittoo. She defended the party, asserting that former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had sanctioned numerous medical colleges. “This is not about who got the college. I will order an inquiry into why it was set up in a flood-prone area,” she added.
