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Ludhiana: Fire-ravaged Chhawani Mohalla clinic still awaits reconstruction
The clinic suffered total damage in a fire incident on February 7, 2025, which was reportedly caused by a short circuit
It has been a year since the Aam Aadmi Clinic (AAC) at Chhawani Mohalla was gutted in a fire incident. The facility hasn’t been repaired ever since, and the clinic is forced to make do in a shop owned by the Sikh temple in the neighbourhood.
Nodal officer of Aam Aadmi Clinics, Dr Seema Chopra said that the department plans to reconstruct the AAC with some 48 new AACs coming up in the district. “We have already decided this, and the process is on. This may take some time,” she said.
The AAC had two rooms (a doctor’s room and a laboratory) and a waiting hall for the patients. Now all services are to be provided in the 12X12 shop.
“The facility was decent in the area. It could handle several patients in the hall. There was a doctor’s office for inspection and consultation, as well as a lab for testing. Now all of these things are done in this cramped space,” said a doctor, who is posted at the clinic.
The clinic suffered total damage in a fire incident on February 7, 2025. The fire was reportedly caused by a short circuit. The clinic was totally burnt on the inside. The air conditioner, fridge, and medicines were all burnt. In fact, the gypsum boards on the false ceiling melted, and the frames of windows and doors were also bent out of shape due to the fire.
It had taken two fire tenders for the fire department to control the fire. The clinic was moved to the nearby shop a month later, on March 9.
The doctor said that since the building had suffered major damage, the department had planned reconstruction, but so far, the old structure hasn’t been demolished to make way for the new building.
The doctor said that the department didn’t provide them with much help while setting up the makeshift clinic. He said that they had to even arrange the fans themselves as the temperature rose in the summer.
