Doc alleges Sion hosp land usurped
MUMBAI : A group of citizens calling themselves the Sion Hospital Bachao Committee have alleged that a builder-politician lobby has usurped a 10-acre plot that was used by the civic-run hospital for decades.
The committee held its first meeting on Saturday to “expose” the alleged corruption and get the plot for the hospital’s use. The group includes well-known paediatrician Dr Santosh Karmakar, health activists, Dharavi residents, and advocates.
Dr Karmakar, who worked as a junior surgeon at Sion Hospital, said, “For decades, this plot had quarters for staff, doctors and class 4 employees. It also had a physiotherapy centre, and offices of various trusts/ngos that work for patients of Sion hospital, including a Paraplegic Foundation. Three months ago, I came to know that the city survey of the plot was changed from recreational ground to residential.”
The committee alleged that the builder-politician lobby will gain upto ₹5,000 crore with this deal at the cost of the health needs of Mumbaiites.
Conflict of interest
According to the committee, the Lodha Group plans to build a luxury residential tower on the plot of land. It added that with Lodha founder Mangal Prabhat Lodha also being a cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government and in charge of handling all the affairs of the corporation, it is a direct conflict of interest. “The said act of the guardian minister in collusion with fellow developers and officers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) comes at the cost of substantial impact to the public healthcare facility that caters to the majority of the subjects of the city of Mumbai,” said advocate Sandeep Katke, another committe member.
‘Baseless’ allegations
When contacted, Lodha said the allegations were politically motivated and baseless. “There is no shred of proof that I’m involved in the building,” he said, adding he plans to file a defamation notice against the group. A BMC official said they would have to look into the issue for more detail since the matter dates back to 2014-15.
Safal Developers, which were also named by the committee, said, “We unequivocally state that all allegations made against us are false.”