Navi Mumbai: Former corporator of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) from the Seawoods area and founder president of Sankalp Foundation along with residents of the Nerul node commenced a relay hunger strike on Thursday, in front of the partly constructed Savla Hospital building in sector 48A in Seawoods, Nerul node, to demand the cancellation of the hospital plot allotted a trust.
They are demanding that either the hospital should be made operational or handing over the same to NMMC to construct a super speciality hospital for the residents of Seawoods and surrounding areas in Nerul node.
The residents are protesting against the trust and CIDCO for denying the hospital facility to residents for over two decades and against NMMC for failure to apply to CIDCO for the allotment of the said plot for constructing a civil hospital for the node.
Dolas leading the hunger strike
Dolas, a former corporator and ex-chairman of the Sports and Cultural Committee of NMMC who has been following the issue with CIDCO for the last few years is now leading the relay hunger strike. He said that the area lacks a good public hospital and NMMC has already planned a super-specialty hospital in the city.
“The 15109 sqm plot was given to a trust in 1999 for a hospital to be operated on a subsidised rate. However, even after 24 years, only the building has been constructed,” said Dolas.
Dolas levels allegations against CIDCO
Meanwhile, Dolas alleged that CIDCO's estate department continues to be soft on the allottee defaulter and allowed him to pay ₹5.75 crores for granting time extension till November 4, 2020, for constructing the hospital. The Trust failed to pay the amount and yet was offered further time till November 4, 2021, on payment of additional lease premium, which it is learnt, now amounts to nearly ₹10 crores. “The trust is allegedly scouting for joint venture partners and the penalty and additional premium amounts to peanuts, given the market price of the said plot after 22 years.
Hence, the scope for connivance to enable the Trust to retain the plot is mutually beneficial for the conniving officials and the Trust too with no punishment for the denial of a vital health facility to the residents,” alleged Dolas.
