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Unsafe dwellings evacuation: Civil hospital asks PSPCL to cut off power
Senior medical officer Dr Mandeep Kaur Sidhu on February 12 had issued an order asking occupants in the old laundry department building to vacate the building within a week
In a bid to evacuate the unauthorised occupants from the civil hospital’s five quarters and old laundry building, which were declared unsafe, the authorities have now roped in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and have asked them to cut off the power supply to the building.
Earlier, the authorities had asked the occupants to vacate the building, which was declared unsafe.
Senior medical officer Dr Mandeep Kaur Sidhu on February 12 had issued an order asking occupants in the old laundry department building to vacate the building within a week.
According to the notice served by the SMO on February 12, at least three similar notices, including two in October and December, 2015 and one in September 2018, were issued.
Around 21 families reside in the old laundry building and the five quarters are occupied by the families of retired employees, as per the civil hospital authorities.
One such family is that of medical assistant Geeta Kumari, who died of a stroke on duty in 2003. Her sons Vijay Kumar and Subhash Kumar continue to live here.
Subhash Kumar, who had around 14 years back, set up a shrine dedicated to a Sufi Saint just adjacent to where his family lived, now has made a shack for himself and his family there.
Addressing the issue, the SMO said the officials in the past had time and again tried getting this place vacated but due to the religious sentiments attached with the place it was difficult to vacate the area.
“These are unauthorised occupants. And above that we are only asking them to vacate as these are structures have been declared unsafe and we didn’t want anything uneventful to take place,” added SMO Sandhu.
The sweepers living in the building said they had only moved in with the prior knowledge of the respective officers. A 26-year-old cleaning staff at the hospital, who is residing here with her infant and husband, said when she moved in last year the then SMO had said “We neither allow you nor deny you to move in.”
“They had told us to stay here as long as any action is taken,” she added. Another occupant, who lives here with a family of five, lamented, “These places were not fit for human dwelling when we came here. We made these into our homes by spending money.” It’s been over three weeks since the occupants were served the notice. But they haven’t yet moved out. None of them planned on doing it anytime soon. “Give us at least a few months to look for some other option,” one of them said.
PSPCL officials confirmed receiving the request and said the action would be taken after departmental assessment.
