THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DELHI
Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Shri VK Saxena along with Hon’ble CM, Smt. Rekha Gupta and the Health Minister, Dr. Pankaj Singh today chaired an emergency meeting to review the security, infrastructure and amenities in the Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital, GB Pant Hospital (GIPMER) and the Guru Nanak Eye Centre Complex situated in the heart of the National Capital.
Called at the request of the Dean and Directors of these medical institutions, the meeting was attended by senior officers of all departments concerned. It came out during the meeting that an extremely serious situation had arisen over the past few years, with regards to security of students and doctors, acute shortage of accommodation, crumbling civil infrastructure and severe lack of space due to encroachments.
Dean (MAMC) informed that, established way back in 1958, the medical complex had accommodation only for 200 students while the current strength was more than 3200. This has led to a situation where in a room meant for double occupancy, as many as 6-7 students were staying, leaving zero room for even a study table. Similarly, because of lack of space / accommodation, resident doctors were forced to sleep and rest in corridors and outside nursing stations.
It was pointed out that the PWD, which had to develop sufficient accommodation for students and residents, had not been able to do anything till now, because the land meant for expansion had been captured by encroachers and land mafia. In addition to this, the existence of certain ASI protected monuments near the complex had made the situation even more difficult, because of non-availability of permission for construction and repair by the ASI.
Dean (MAMC) pointed out that in the year 2023-24, a three month window was provided by the ASI for carrying out necessary repair and maintenance work in the existing structures. However, the same could not be done due to funds not been sanctioned by the then Government and MAMC was forced to carry out minor repairs by way of crowd funding. It was also brought to the notice of LG, CM and the Minister that the buildings were in extremely dilapidated condition, with chunks of plaster and concrete often falling and threatening the safety and life of students and doctors and if repairs are not carried out immediately, any mishap could take place.
Apart from this, the Dean pointed out that the toilets, that were anyway less in number, were also being unauthorizedly used resulting in them becoming extremely unhygienic and unusable. Further, due to overburdening of the sewerage lines due to presence of encroachers, the situation had become alarming.
A detailed presentation with pictures, illustrations and geo-coordinates brought to the fore that illegal flats, temples, mosques, shops, path labs, akharas, ashrams and even schools had come up on the land exclusively allotted to these institutions by L&DO, GoI. It was also pointed out that 04 illegal jhuggi clusters were situated within the complex, encroaching over 25 acres of land and many government accommodations were being illegally occupied by employees, who had retired from services far back and were even subletting these for commercial purposes.
In addition to this, the existence of these structures had led to a surge in criminal activities, which had become rampant due to presence of hundreds of anti-social elements within the complex boundary. The police pointed out that illegal liquor sale and drug cartels were also operating out of the encroached areas. This in turn had led to a grave security threat to the students and doctors, especially women. The complex, which was supposed to have been gated, for obvious reasons, due to heavy encroachment, had become a public thoroughfare. Encroachments outside the gates resulted in a situation where the gates either remained permanently open or close.
The authorities of all the three hospitals also brought to the fore that heavy encroachment and illegal parking had made the very approach of the hospitals clogged leading to a situation wherein even ambulances and emergency patients could not enter the hospitals. Apart from this, encroachments outside the various blocks of the hospitals, not only made access difficult to these facilities but also created serious sanitation and hygiene issues in an area that should be free from such menace.
The Lt. Governor expressed shock and dismay at the state-of-affairs in the biggest medical complex of the city, that was situated in the heart of the Capital and was right under the nose of the power that be. The Chief Minister pointed towards an obvious political patronage by the previous dispensation, that led to the current sordid state-of-affairs. The Dean and Directors present in the meeting, informed the LG, CM and the Minister that students and doctors had been requesting to meet them to present their case and if allowed, a delegation thereof will represent their case.
After going through the presentation, a series of instructions were issued by the Lt. Governor and the Chief Minister with regards to law and order, civic infrastructure and safety & amenities in the complex:
PWD was directed to immediately prepare a comprehensive plan and estimates for creating accommodation and associated infrastructure for at least 4000 students and doctors.
Delhi Police was directed to immediately ensure adequate police presence in the campus and act firmly against criminal elements, who, the students had pointed out, were threatening them.
Police was specifically directed to ensure immediate and stringent action against bootleggers and drug cartels inside the campus.
All land-owning agencies along with the hospital authorities were directed to immediately carry out to survey of the land allotted to these medical institutions and identify the encroachment thereon.
As far as the religious structures were concerned, it was directed that the same be referred immediately to the Religious Committee for further necessary action.
MCD and Education Department of GNCTD were directed to issue notices to the schools illegally operating out of the complex.
The ASI was asked to immediately and firmly act against encroachers on monuments protected by it, under the relevant provisions of the Act.
Action Taken Reports along with pictures were asked to be submitted to the LG Secretariat, CMO and Office of the Health Minister, periodically.
It was decided that LG, CM and Health Minister will visit the complex to take stock of the situation and delegation of students and doctors will meet the CM at the earliest.
***