RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.4: Nagarmal Modi Seva Sadan, a private hospital near Ranchi Lake in Upper Bazar which started with five beds 62 years ago, is facing a demolition threat.
The situation came when Ranchi Municipal Corporation demanded a building plan from the hospital management and the latter failed to submit the same.
An RMC official informed this saying 15 days’ time has been given to the hospital to demolish the building on its own and during the period the health centre has been restricted to admit any new patient.
“Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 5.25 lakh on the hospital and issued directions to demolish the hospital within 15 days. The order came after the hospital failed to submit a building plan despite several reminders for the same. The municipal commissioner in his order has said that in case the hospital management fails to demolish the building within 15 days, the civic body will take the demolition work in its hand,” an RMC official added.
The Municipal Commissioner confirmed his notice saying he will go by his order and is not in a mood to give any liberty to law violators.
“15 days means 15 days. One should not get confused about the deadline. No liberty will be given to the building for being used as a hospital for the last many years. It is not possible to spare law violators violating laws taking the pretext of social work,” Kumar clarified.
Presently, Seva Sadan has 200 beds and is working as a super specialty hospital. It has eight ICU beds beside CCU, SCU and RIC, and NICU. The hospital has a digital X-Ray, pathology, dialysis unit, and physiotherapy facility. As many as 400 regular staff and 60 specialist doctors are associated with it. Free immunisation facility is provided to poor pregnant ladies here. People below the poverty line, ex-servicemen and Tana Bhagats are given free treatment here.
Contacted hospital secretary Asish Modi for his comment, he said a copy of the notice is yet to be received by him.
“We are in the dark so far. We came to know through the media and have not received any notice so far. Once we receive the notice we will plan our further line of action,” Modi said.
“As far as submission of the building plan is concerned, we submitted the same yesterday at 1.30pm. The plan had been approved in 1980,” Modi signed off.
The demolition order invited sharp reactions from different corners of the city.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and BJP legislature party chief Babulal Marandi demanded relief for the hospital by regularising its building plan. He said it is required in the public interest.
Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth termed it wrong to give demolition threat to the hospital.”If building plan is so important how come it was approved for the construction of building on encroached land,” Seth said.
Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar echoed the same saying it is easier to demolish than construction. “The Civic body which failed to provide a dispensary so far is planning to demolish the hospital,” Poddar said.
BJP legislator Bhanu Pratap Shahi took strong exception to the notice saying the government is sparing the hotel of the minister constructed illegally and adamant to demolish the hospital.
Deputy Mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya took strong exception to the notice saying the order to demolish the hospital is impractical and it is required to be reviewed seeing the technical difficulties.
“Till 1980 there was no provision for approval of building plans. Attempts were made twice for the regularisation of the building. The first attempt was made when Arjun Munda was chief minister but after the formulation of building by-laws that time only 845 building plans came for approval and out of total plans approval was given to hardly 40 to 45. In 2016-17 new building by-laws were formulated but it was so complex that only 300 people expressed their interest in the regularisation of their building. Similarly, the first master plan was chalked out in 1983 and the second in 2013. Thus due to the long span, it is difficult to regularise old buildings. At present, the fee for the regularisation of buildings is Rs 1000 per sq ft. It is too high and hardly anyone will be able to pay such a high fee for regularisation of buildings,” Vijayvargiya said.
“At present, there are 1.80 lakh buildings in the city which give holding tax. Out of total buildings, hardly 20 to 25 thousand have been constructed according to approved building plans. If demolition notice is given in such a way there will be chaos across the city,” Vijayvargiya added.
Councillor of Ward 26, Arun Kumar Jha, supported the deputy mayor saying poor patients of Harmu which comes under his ward besides Kishoreganj and Hindpiri get benefited most from the hospital and the government should reconsider before taking any step for demolition. He has written a letter to Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh demanding relaxation for the hospital.
