Taking Advantage of Delhi Elections:
While all of Delhi was debating which political party would be best suited for the overall planned development of Delhi, with an eye on prime land in GK-1, a private group went into action mode and started soil testing on a plot next to Archna. As reported earlier in Samvada, DLF & Medanta have plans of opening a 400-bed hospital, much to the discomfiture of local residents. The news report had shaken the residents of GK-I, already grappling with traffic chaos on HRG Marg. GKRA and Block RWA WhatsApp Groups came abuzz, with irate residents complaining about how they would ever reach home.
The colony far exceeds saturation point, and the proposed large hospital will simply choke the streets of the entire GK-I. Not just the hospital; ancillary services like petty vendors, a beeline of chemists, guest houses, relatives of patients, haphazardly parked cars, taxis, autos, etc., shall all plague the area. Not to mention the wailing sirens of ambulances through the night.
In September 2023, GKRA got frantic calls and messages from residents quoting media reports that DLF & Medanta are planning to open a 400-bed hospital on two adjacent plots next to Archna Complex. An emergency meeting was called by GKRA, and a Special Assignment Committee under the chairmanship of Renu Rosha & Rajiv Kakria was formed to find ways to stall this usurping of public utility land for private profit. GKRA, has over the past decades, been requesting Authorities for holistic utilization of Public Utility Land to address the more pressing needs of the neighbourhood, while retaining peace & tranquility of our posh residential area.
Some of the suggestions are for a Senior Citizen Care & Convalescence Centre; GK Club for Recreation; Multi Activity Sports Ground; RWA Office cum Conference Hall; Post Office; Kendriya Bhandar; Nafed Fruit & Vegetable Shop, etc. Over the past decades, the stock response has been that there is no land available. Over the past fifteen months, as reported in earlier articles in Samvada, Team GKRA has taken up the matter with elected representatives, former minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, and now area MLA Shikha Rai, who have both helped in obtaining crucial documents, which were hard to get through RTI. Armed with these documents, GKRA is in an advanced stage of discussions with lawyers to file a petition in court to stall this misuse of public utility land.
