Transit camp in hospital

When a property developer was granted permission by the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up a transit camp within the premises of the TB Hospital at Sewri, the Kshay va HIV Rugna Punarvasan Sanstha moved the Bombay High Court (BHC), seeking direction to set it aside. While pulling up the BMC for granting such permission, the BHC has granted it time to respond.

According to the petition which was heard on March 26, 2012, "the Municipal TB Hospital Bahadurjee Block and the open plot admeasuring 2,530 sq m, is a property donated by Parsi donors and as per the will/the donation papers, the entire property, including the open plot, is to be exclusively used for the benefit and welfare of the TB patients,” reported The Free Press Journal (FPJ) on March 27, 2012. The petition further alleges that developers along with unscrupulous local politicians have "set their eyes on the open plot” for illegal development or at least for setting up a transit camp for the Slum Redevelopment Scheme. Temporary transit camps have been constructed there and are already occupied by slum dwellers, reveals FPJ.

The TB Hospital at Sewri, donated by Parsis

Acting on the petition a division bench headed by Justice P. B. Majumdar wondered how a transit camp could be located inside a hospital. The BMC counsel justified the permission granted to the developer as being "legal,” irking the judge to remark "How can you plead that it is legal. Tomorrow you can permit a transit camp in the High Court garden?”