Nagpur: Taking stern stand on the dysfunctional Nagarik Sahkari Rugnalaya, the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has cancelled its lease of sprawling land allotted to it on North Ambazari road. Moreover, NIT has also directed the administrator to demolish the hospital building which is in dilapidated condition. It may be mentioned that the hospital had been lying shut since 2013.
On December 24, the NIT chairperson conducted a hearing and eventually on January 7, an order was passed order to cancel the lease of Nagarik Rugnalaya. The administrator has been asked to remove the structure within next 30 days.
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Else, NIT will demolish the buildings and the cost will be recovered from the Rugnalaya administration. NIT had allotted 5,482 sq mtr land on North Ambazari road to establish a hospital in 1970s on lease for 30 years. The lease contained a clause that if the Rugnalaya was unable to run the hospital, then the land would be reverted to NIT. Due to several factors, the hospital could not function and it was decided to hand it over to a private player. In 2007, the Rugnalaya management signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Quality Care Health group, but it fizzled out. In 2010, the expression of interest was invited and Dr Arneja Institute of Cardiology was selected to develop a modern hospital.
Dr Bhalchandra Subhedar, the senior most physician of the city had filed a PIL before the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, questioning the Development Agreement entered into between Nagpur Nagrik Rugnalaya and Dr Arneja.
The High Court had quashed and set aside the agreement and later the Supreme Court also dismissed the SLP filed by Dr Arneja. Since then, the hospital building was in ruins. Dr Bhalchandra Subhedar filed another PIL through Adv Akshay Sudame seeking constitution of a committee to survey and submit modalities for reviving the hospital and direction against NIT to initiate proceedings to cancel the allotment of the land to the Rugnalaya. On December 17, 2019 a division bench consisting of Justice Sunil Shukre and Justice Rohit Deo directed NIT to complete the inquiry into cancellation of allotment in favour of Rugnalaya within a period of two months. Pursuant to the notice issued by the High Court, NIT had issued a show cause notice to the Rugnalaya as to why allotment should not be cancelled.
