The state health department has asked government-run medical facilities to prevent further encroachment on their plots amid questions about whether stern measures will be initiated against the existing offenders.

“It is requested to keep close vigil and to ensure that no encroachment happens further in Govt. land under the H & FW department. A prominent sign board indicating ‘the land is owned by H&FW Department’ may be erected on any such vacant land of the department within your administrative jurisdiction,” reads an order issued by the secretary of the health and family welfare
(H&FW) department.

Complaints had been coming in from various districts that portions of land owned by government hospitals, including medical colleges, had been encroached on, threatening the security of the facilities.

“This particular issue was highlighted during a security audit of government hospitals across the state soon after a junior doctor had been raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The government has already installed CCTV cameras, modern illumination systems and other facilities to strengthen the security of the hospitals. But the encroachment remains unattended to,” said a senior official.

During an administrative review meeting at Nabanna recently, the chief minister instructed all departments to ensure that no government land was further encroached on.

A section of officials said it was good to see that the health department had finally woken up to the encroachment problem after the chief minister’s instruction. However, they said, it was yet to be clear what measures would be initiated against those who had already settled on the hospital premises.

A senior bureaucrat said the government was framing a policy to regularise the plots in the names of those who had already set up structures by encroaching on government land in Calcutta and elsewhere in Bengal.

“But the same policy cannot be applied to the hospitals as encroachment threatens the security of doctors, employees and patients. It is significant that the government has asked the hospitals to keep vigil to prevent further encroachment, but it remains to be seen what action is taken against the existing offenders,” said a source.

The officials said freeing the hospital premises from encroachment was also required, without which future development projects at the facilities could come
to a halt.

Asked how much land of the hospitals was already encroached on, a source said the hospital authorities would put up boards on the vacant plots by January 31 and after that, a survey would be carried out to find whether the land was grabbed.

“Once the encroachments are identified, the details will be sent to Nabanna for further instructions…. We will do whatever we will be asked to do with the encroachments if found any,” said a source in the health department.