As the Delhi government’s project to construct 1,000 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics remains in limbo for lack of land, one clinic that was being constructed in east Delhi was partially demolished earlier this month and used as a green room by artistes performing Ramlila this past week.
In July this year, the Public Works Department (PWD) had cancelled three of the four contracts to construct 250 clinics each due to a lack of sites.
One contract was kept open in order to accommodate any sites that were available or would become available in the future, PWD Minister Satyendar Jain had told reporters on September 14.
The site at Babarpur Bridge, near the Babarpur DTC terminal, was one such site where construction was still on.
However, according to a complaint filed with Welcome police station on behalf of the contractor, Lloyd Insulations (India) Ltd., the nearly finished clinic was damaged by locals who wanted to host Ramlila at the site.
Threat call
Site engineer Kusalveer, the complainant, alleged that he received a call from someone threatening to remove the clinic on September 16. The next day, he said, that a few locals demolished the clinic.
“I got to know on September 18 that it has been demolished. The next day, we approached the police at Welcome police station to submit the complaint but no FIR has been registered so far,” he said.
The police said that they investigated the matter after the complaint was received, but when they approached the local Ramlila committee in Babarpur, they were handed a document stating that the clinic was ordered to be shifted.
Needed shifting
“An order, dated September 5, was issued and signed by Additional Director (Planning) of the Directorate General of Health Services, which said that the clinic needs to be shifted 50 metres but the contractors did not do so,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Ajit Kumar Singla.
The document states that a letter dated August 29 was received from Development Minister Gopal Rai regarding the matter. “He requested for shifting of Mohalla Clinic currently functional at Babarpur Terminal to a distance of around 50 metres, near DTC Pass Section for the convenience of General Public (sic),” read the order.
Not notified
Mr. Kusalveer, however, denied having knowledge of any such order.
“We haven’t been notified about the order. In fact, the locals, only demolished half the clinic as they used part of it as the Ramlila stage and other part as a make-up room,” he alleged.
While the site ended up being used to host the performances, the contractor wrote to the PWD on September 26 asking to be compensated for the damages.
In the police complaint, the contractor had stated that damages to the tune of ₹5 lakh had been incurred.
The site in question had been handed over to the contractor on February 25 this year, as per a letter by the PWD.