North civic body to auction 3 acres of Rajan Babu hospital

NORTH MCD HAD FACED A SEVERE FUND CRUNCH EARLIER, WITH THE CIVIC BODY BEING UNABLE TO EVEN PROVIDE SALARIES TO ITS STAFF

NEW DELHI: The North Delhi Municipal Corporation is planning to auction three acres of land within the Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis (RBIPMT) complex -- one of the biggest tuberculosis hospitals in Asia -- near GTB Nagar to generate revenue. The site is proposed to be used for setting up three private hospitals, said a senior corporation official.

According to the project report prepared by the engineering department, the three acre land abutting the Ring Road has been earmarked in consultation with the hospital director for auctioning.

“RBIPMT has a huge complex and it has a scope for development of private hospitals on the vacant land. The health department has provided in-principal agreement. A land measuring three acres near the laundry block and staff tenements of RBIPMT has been identified. It was decided that three plots of one acre each be carved out for three hospitals for e-auction on lease basis,” said a communication dated September 24, 2021, from the municipal commissioner to the standing committee. The land is currently covered by bushes and trees.

The standing committee chairman Jogi Ram Jain said that the matter was postponed in the last committee meeting and a further study is required.

“It (the hospital) is a huge 80-90 acre complex and the project proposes to use three acres for developing three specialty hospitals on PPP (publicprivate partnership) basis. It is for public welfare and it will also generate revenue for the corporation. This will be further discussed in the next meeting. We will hold meetings with department officials to study it further,” he added.

North MCD had faced a severe fund crunch earlier, with the civic body being unable to even provide salaries of its staff for months and the Delhi high court even pulling it up over the issue on multiple occasions. The doctors and nurses from various municipal hospitals have organised strikes due to non-payment of salaries even during the pandemic.

The Layout Scrutiny Committee (LOSC) of the civic body approved the change in layout plan of the complex on August 24, 2021, and forwarded the proposal to the standing committee. “Three plots measuring 4,125 sqm, 4,125 sqm and 4,284.6 sqm have been carved out for hospitals near laundry block. After discussion, it was recommended to place the case before the standing committee for approval of three hospitals at municipal land,” said the LOSC report.

Officials from the RBIPMT administration did not respond to requests seeking a comment.