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Panchkula MC gets court notice over plan to turn old-age home into rest house
Panchkula municipal corporation had built a seven-storey Old-Age Home in Sector 27 to accommodate senior citizens
Taking note of a plea against the Panchkula municipal corporation’s proposal to convert a newly constructed Old-Age Home in Sector 27 to a Rest House, a local court has put the civic body on notice.
Acting on the petition filed by advocate Pankaj Chandgothia and his wife Sangeeta, the court of civil judge Arunima Chauhan on Monday issued urgent notices to MC and department of urban local bodies to reply by August 16.
MC had built a seven-storey Old-Age Home in Sector 27 to accommodate senior citizens. Built at a cost of ₹11.66 crores on 0.888 acre, the building consists of 90 rooms.
In the plea, Chandgothia pointed out that the building was specially designed for use by senior citizens, as it had rooms for doctors, a general ward and nursing station, dining area, kitchen and waiting lounge. It was proposed that each inmate will have to pay ₹5,500 per month, which included ₹2,500 as rent and ₹3,000 for food and other services.
The plea added that now MC was planning to pass an agenda item in its House meeting on August 21 to convert the Old-Age Home into a Rest House. Opposing this move, the plea contended that MC had no authority to pass such an agenda because the Old-Age Home was a state government-approved project to fulfil duties enshrined by the directive principles of state policy.
“After spending crores of rupees for that defined purpose and also inaugurating the building as an Old-Age Home, it does not lie in the hands of the local body to convert the use of the site building to a commercial purpose of a rest house,” it said.
The Haryana state branch of Indian Red Cross Society has been made a party to the petition, with the suggestion that if MC was unable to run the Old-Age Home, it should be handed over to the Red Cross which had already been working in this field for the care of destitute elderly and children.
Meanwhile, mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said even after floating tenders, no agency had come forward to run the Old-Age Home and also there were few takers for the rooms in the home.
“The MC proposal is about operating an Old-Age Home on two floors, while the rest of the floors will be converted into a Rest House. The canteen will also be given on lease,” said Goyal.
