Bhubaneswar, April 18: The proposed revival of the municipal corporation hospital in Old Town remains a dream.

Although authorities said that land would soon be allotted for the new building of the hospital at Annie House Square, local residents said the delay was becoming too much to bear as the old building was becoming increasingly weak.

The oldest hospital in the city, the municipal corporation hospital near Lingaraj temple started operating in the late 1930s. It was then under the district board. It later came under the administrative control of the Bhubaneswar notified area council, municipality and then the municipal corporation.

But the hospital has always been in the news for the wrong reasons. Leaking roofs, dilapidated operation theatre and wastewater pollution at the hospital are some of the issues.

Sujata Rath, a faculty member at a city-based management college and resident of Old Town, said: “There was a time when this municipal hospital was one of the best facilities in the city. In fact, in the early 1980s, it was the first hospital in the state capital to get a blood bank. But today the facility is in a bad shape and the engineering wing of the municipal corporation is only wasting money on the renovation work.’’

Chief medical officer Dinabandhu Sahoo said the building had become too old and there is an urgent need to completely renovate it.

Recently, the casualty unit was renovated with the help of a donation of Rs 8 lakh from an industrial house. The operation theatre was also renovated. The National Rural Health Mission also gave an aid of Rs 25 lakh, of which Rs 15 lakh was spent on renovation and Rs 10 lakh was spent on buying medical equipment.

Municipal commissioner Vishal Dev said: “There is no alternative to a new and bigger building for the municipal hospital. The old building has become too weak. So, we have decided to move on. A place near Annie House Square in Old Town was selected and the general administration department was requested for the transfer of ownership.” Sources in the BMC, however, said the general administration department was delaying the plan.

“There is some encroachment on the proposed land, but BMC can deal with it. If the land is handed over to us, we can work on the hospital proposal quickly,’’ said a senior BMC official.