25 January,2017 08:06 AM IST | | Rupsa Chakraborty
For over a month now, the 22-year-old Zunka Bhakar Kendra in JJ Hospital has had to rely on candles and lamps as soon as the sun sets. The hospital management has allegedly illegally disconnected power supply to the food stall
An employee works in the dark at the Zunka Bhakar Kendra. Pic/Satej Shinde
For over a month now, the 22-year-old Zunka Bhakar Kendra in JJ Hospital has had to rely on candles and lamps as soon as the sun sets. The hospital management has allegedly illegally disconnected the power supply to the food stall that offers subsidised food to visitors till 9.30 pm every night.
The BEST Undertaking supplies power to the centre through a separate meter, and the hospital has no control over this. The owner of the stall, Beena Sharma, has now written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan alleging harassment at the hands of the hospital and hints at vested interests to usurp the land.
Hospital had no right
Sharma, who has been running the centre from the start, said she is now being made to run around to get the power restored. She alleged that the supply was disconnected on the orders of hospital dean Dr TP Lahane, without seeking permission from BEST.
She said she first approached BEST after the supply was cut on December 22 last year. The undertaking's officials, sent for an inspection, allegedly found the hospital in the red. "The hospital had no right to cut the supply. This is clear harassment," said Sharma.
In its reply to Sharma's complaint, BEST revealed that while the supply meter was still running, the main switch's lead wire has been cut. "The BEST is not responsible for this," it said.
Catching a lie
When Jitendra Bhosle, deputy engineer at JJ Hospital, was questioned by BEST, he claimed that the hospital had played no part in the disconnection. It was through the same RTI plea that Sharma found out that Dr Lahane had instructed Bhosle on December 12 to disconnect power and water supplies, claiming that the Zunka Bhakar Kendra drew its power from the hospital - a blatant lie.
"We have been using our own meter since the inception of the centre in 1995. Even if the centre gets dissolved, the order has to come from the state government.
The dean can't move us out," said Sharma.
