SRINAGAR: More than seven years have passed since the government identified land for the construction of a 100-bed maternity hospital in Pulwama, but the project remains confined to papers, leaving residents disillusioned and women patients struggling for facilities. “It was a long-pending demand of the people of Pulwama and Shopian to have a dedicated maternity hospital. He added that the absence of a dedicated maternity hospital forces women patients to travel either to Srinagar or private clinics, leading to unnecessary delays and extra financial burden. Even the District Development Council (DDC) Pulwama had passed a resolution in favour of constructing the maternity hospital, but the matter continues to linger. However, in a contradictory statement, the government recently told the Assembly that “there is no proposal before the government for the construction of a 100-bedded maternity hospital at Sirnoo, Pulwama”.