Nashik: The civic body has decided to open the maternity hospital at Gorewadi under National Urban Health Mission. The hospital, which was to be inaugurated in 2000, is yet to be functional due to disputes related to naming of the hospital and paucity of staff.The hospital and maternity home were constructed for the residents of Gorewadi and surrounding areas. At present, they have to travel to the Bytco hospital, which takes half an hour as the railway gates remain closed often for 15 to 20 minutes.Former Congress corporator, late Madhukar Gaikwad had donated 1,100 sq.m. land to the Nashik Municipal Corporation for constructing the hospital and maternity home with the condition that it should be named after his mother, late Jayabai Genuji Gaikwad.But, when the building was constructed, some political leaders and local residents wanted the hospital to be named after Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Despite a written communication between Gaikwad and the NMC on this issue, the civic body did nothing. Gaikwad then filed a civil suit in the district court against the NMC. He demanded the plot back if the hospital was not named after his mother.On December 2013, the court asked the then municipal commissioner to either name the hospital after Gaikwad mother or give valuation of the plot. The NMC agreed for valuation and Gaikwad withdrew the case. But, he got compensation for only 900 sq.m. on which the building has been constructed and not for the entire area.The NMC also found it difficult to start the hospital due to lack of staff. In 2003-04, an out-patient department was started on trial basis but it was closed due to staff crunch.Gaikwad’s son, Vinayak said, “Our purpose was to have a hospital for the poor in the name of our grandmother. We donated the land but they wanted someone else’s name on it. The settlement was done in the court. But the entire land was not taken. The NMC constructed a compound wall on its own and decided the name without consulting us. Then civic officials played foul. We did not even get the entire compensation amount. Even now, part of the land is in our name. We want the hospital to be started.”“The Gorewadi hospital will be used as an urban primary health care centre under the National Urban Health Mission. We will be repairing it as it is in a dilapidated condition now. We can appoint medical staff on contract basis,” said an NMC official.He said that the dispute was decades old and that the focus of the NMC at present is to provide healthcare for the needy in that area. “Still we will check all the documents. We have major part of the land with us,” he added.

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