Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, March 15, 2004 www.thehindu.com

Villagers take cudgels on behalf of health centre

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, MARCH 14. In a curious case of citizens' resistance, the villagers residing near a charitable hospital at Jagatpura on the outskirts of Jaipur have come out against the State Government's plan to widen the road in front of the health centre which could lead to the demolition of its entire building, denying the free basic medical care to thousands of underprivileged people.

The Khejri Sarvodaya Health Centre was established in village Todiramzanipura about nine years ago by a noted educationist and former Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University, T.K.N. Unnithan. The hospital has been rendering medical services and providing medicines to the people coming from about 30 villages in the region at a nominal fee as a philanthropic gesture.

The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is now planning to construct a 200-foot-wide double lane carriageway in front of the health centre to facilitate access to the Indira Vikas Yojana Colony of the Rajasthan Housing Board. The villagers point out that the widening of the existing road would lead to demolition of several houses and buildings as well as the Khejri Health Centre.

The villagers have formed a committee -- Jagatpura Vikas Samiti -- and filed a public interest writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the JDA's land acquisition process and seeking direction to the State Government to protect the hospital building. A Division Bench of the High Court has since issued notices in the case.

The Samiti's president, Mohan Singh Sinsinwar, points out that the original master plan of Jaipur had no provision for developing any residential colony in the region, as the entire land was incorporated into the green belt. Moreover, Kundanpura village situated alongside the road was established in 1956 for rehabilitating Dalits and disadvantaged sections.

Mr. Sinsinwar affirmed that the existing road could be widened by a maximum of 140 feet so as to protect the buildings on either side. "The heavy vehicles coming from Delhi-Agra bypass do not need to come to this road and can use the proposed 160-foot wide road through Ramnagaria extension. The widening of this road will not serve any purpose," he said.

The Samiti is planning to convert the road widening issue into an election issue and launch a citizens' movement against it during the election campaign so as to protect the health centre at any cost. "This hospital is a lifeline for us. The Government's two primary health centres in Jagatpura slum and Goner have no facilities and are practically non-functional," Mr. Sinsinwar said.

The Khejri Health Centre -- named after the legendary Khejri movement for saving trees and guided by the spirit of Sarvodaya movement -- has so far treated about one-lakh patients suffering from serious diseases such as tuberculosis and eye ailments and helped pregnant women. It runs regular medical camps in remote villages and conducts annual health check-ups in 13 schools and has recently launched a mobile clinic.