In one of his first major official decisions, newly-appointed Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has directed the police to hand over a plot of land to the city government for construction of a hospital in west Delhi, notwithstanding reservation by the force.
The order by Jung came in the wake of long-pending dispute between Delhi government and city police over the 1,600 sq m plot in Pocket 4 in Bindapur area.
Observing that no construction was carried out by the police on the land which was allotted to the force on October 22, 1997 by the DDA to set up a police post, the Delhi government had approached the land agency for the allotment of the plot to set up a hospital.
However, the police had refused to vacate possession even cancellation of the allotment.
In a directive issued on July 12, Jung, while accepting Delhi government’s contention, asked the force to vacate the possession of the plot for setting up of 100-bedded hospital in the area and asked it to accept an adjacent plot measuring 1,000 sq m for the police post.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit, while addressing a rally in Bindapur on June 9, had announced her government’s decision to set up the hospital in the area heeding to the demand of local MLA Mukesh Sharma and residents of the area.
Welcoming Jung’s directive to police, Sharma, who is also parliamentary secretary to Dikshit, said the Lt Governor’s decision will pave the way for construction of the hospital in the area.
The health department and Sharma had approached the DDA late last year seeking possession of the plot to Delhi government for the proposed hospital.
A meeting of the screening committee of the land agency had on December 20 last year, while accepting the request had decided to give an adjacent plot to Delhi Police.
Expressing unhappiness, the police had refused to comply with the DDA order arguing that it will go ahead with its plan of setting up of the police post.