“We feel it necessary to direct respondents — state medical education and drugs department, and GMCH dean — to make available suitable facilities for toilets and washrooms at various places inside the premises considering the expanse of 220 acres on which it is built,” a division bench comprising justices Avinash Gharote and Mukulika Jawalkar said.
While hearing a suo motu plea (WP no 3427/2000, now SMPIL 1/2023) by CH Sharma and others regarding lack of basic facilities in GMCHs across Vidarbha through amicus curiae Anup Gilda, the bench also directed the respondents to provide open spaces where the relatives can sit for long hours. “They are required to wait for the patients and, therefore, shelters/sheds should be provided along with water kiosks which can be utilized in the rainy/summer seasons. A proper plan be formulated for this purpose and placed on record by February 22,” the bench said.
Earlier, government’s special counsel Firdos Mirza submitted a resolution (GR) of February 8, by which the administrative sanction of Rs10.25 crore was granted for deploying 301 security guards at GMCH. “We hope that consequent to the sanction, the actual process of deployment will be completed within two weeks’ from today, as the agency Maharashtra State Security Board, is within the control of the state and the additional govt pleader Deepak Thakare assures full cooperation in that regard,” the justices said.
On the issue of providing police post near the GMCH gates, the respondents contended that the existing one was set up in a temporary accommodation inside the boundary wall.
“The very purpose of directing a permanent post to be created was to ease the traffic by monitoring the same, so that there would be no impediment for clear passage of ambulances. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), jointly with the police and GMCH authorities, shall identify the place outside the boundary wall as near to the entry gate as possible for the erection of the permanent post. The inspection should be carried out on February 17 at 10am and report to be submitted by the next date,” the judges said.
NMC counsel Jemini Kasat made a statement that the action for removal of encroachments adjacent to the GMCH boundary is stated to be taken on Thursday and he will file an action taken report on the next date.
“The issue of installing sufficient number of solar panel street lights, to ensure sufficiency of illumination from sunset till midnight on the GMCH premises, shall also be addressed by the dean and a statement in that regard shall be made in this court by next hearing,” the judges said while adjourning the hearing till February 22.
In November last year, TOI had published a series of reports on the appalling situation at GMCH which had turned into an open defecation and urination zone.