Patna: The district-wise report on encroachment on government hospitals in Bihar was submitted before the bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay in the form of an affidavit by the registrar general of Patna High Court, Bidhu Bhushan Pathak, on Monday.

The affidavit claims such encroachment has been removed in 28 districts and the work is only 10 districts - Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Kishanganj, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Rohtas, Saran, Siwan and West Champaran - are pending.

The affidavit follows a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Vikash Chandra a.k.a Guddu Baba, who had alleged that large-scale encroachments exist at all levels of the state health-care system: Sadar hospitals, primary health centres (PHCs) and additional primary health centres (APHCs).

Chandra had filed the petition based on information received through a right to information request.

When the court was told on Monday that work is left in only 10 districts, Chandra said he "informed the court that even now encroachment exist at Danapur Hospital, where doctors' quarters are being used as godowns."

If this was the condition in the state capital what to say of other districts, the bench observed.

The court then directed the state government to provide a full status report, including from those districts where the government claims encroachment has been removed, in six weeks.

The high court had on January 28 this year directed all district and sessions judges to decide all the title suit cases over ownership of hospitals' land to facilitate removal of encroachment from the health-care hubs.

On May 1, the reports were received from the district and sessions judges.

Road encroachment

The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday sought two weeks' time to submit an affidavit in a case related to encroachment on Patna roads.

Social activist Vikash Chandra had filed a PIL alleging that a majority of the roads of the state capital was encroached upon, causing great hardship to commuters and motorists. Chandra, in his PIL, had pleaded that encroachment is creating problem during peak hours for the public and that the worst affected were the schoolchildren and patients, who have to bear a lot of pain due to traffic blockades.

The high court had in its earlier hearing on August 25 directed the PMC to devise a plan taking help from experts to remove encroachments from the roads and submit the plan to the court.