Delhi Lt Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday took stock of the security, infrastructure and amenities in Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) and directed the concerned authorities to rectify the situation.
These orders came after the Saxena, Rekha Gupta and Health Minister Dr Pankaj Singh chaired an emergency meeting to review the security, infrastructure and amenities in the Maulana Azad Medical College, LokNayak Hospital, GB Pant Hospital (GIPMER) and the Guru Nanak Eye Centre Complex situated in the heart of the National Capital, according to a Raj Niwas statement.
The Lt. Governor expressed shock and dismay at the state-of-affairs in the biggest medical complex of the city. The Chief Minister pointed towards an obvious political patronage by the previous dispensation that led to the current sordid state-of-affairs.
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.
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 unauthorisedly 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, ashramsand even schools had come up on the land exclusively allotted to these institutionsby 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 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.
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 and amenities in the complex:
The LG and chief minister directed PWD to immediately prepare a comprehensive plan and estimates for creating accommodation and associated infrastructure for at least 4,000 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.
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.
