Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Health Minister Pankaj Singh chaired an emergency meeting to review the worsening condition of key government medical institutions in the capital — Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Lok Nayak Hospital, GB Pant Hospital (GIPMER), and Guru Nanak Eye Centre.
The meeting, convened at the request of the Deans and Directors of these institutions, exposed a dire crisis: severe accommodation shortages, collapsing infrastructure, rampant encroachments, and a growing threat to the safety of students and doctors.
MAMC Overcrowding: 6–7 Students in One Room
During the meeting, the Dean of MAMC revealed that while the college was established in 1958 with hostel capacity for just 200 students, it currently houses over 3,200 students. Due to the lack of space, 6–7 students are crammed into rooms meant for two. Resident doctors are left with no option but to sleep in hospital corridors and outside nursing stations.
Officials from the PWD present in the meeting informed that plans to construct new hostels remain stalled, as the land allocated for expansion is under illegal occupation by land mafias and encroachers.
ASI Restrictions and Crumbling Infrastructure
Compounding the crisis, the presence of ASI-protected monuments in the vicinity has prevented any repairs or new construction. In 2023–24, the ASI permitted limited repair work for just three months. However, due to a lack of government funding, no substantial work could be undertaken. Students resorted to crowdfunding for minor repairs, while the buildings continued to deteriorate, with falling plaster and concrete putting lives at risk.
A detailed presentation during the meeting highlighted the extent of unauthorised occupation: illegal flats, temples, mosques, labs, shops, akharas, ashrams, and even schools have mushroomed over government-allotted land. Four major slum clusters alone are encroaching over 25 acres. Several staff quarters are illegally occupied by retired government employees and are reportedly being rented out.
Delhi Police confirmed the presence of criminal elements within the complex, including bootleggers and drug cartels, and stated that this poses serious threats to female students and doctors. Encroachments around hospital gates have turned the medical campus into a public passage, disrupting emergency services. Ambulances often find it difficult to enter.
Crackdown Ordered: Encroachments to Be Removed, Security Stepped Up
Expressing serious concern over the alarming revelations, Delhi Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta issued a series of urgent directives to all relevant departments.
The PWD has been instructed to prepare a comprehensive plan for constructing housing and necessary facilities for at least 4,000 students and doctors. Delhi Police has been directed to strengthen campus security and take strict action against bootleggers and drug cartels operating within the premises.
Land-owning agencies, along with hospital authorities, have been assigned the task of conducting a joint survey to identify all encroachments. The Religious Committee has been asked to review unauthorised religious structures. Additionally, the MCD and the Education Department have been directed to serve notices to illegally operating schools inside the hospital complexes, while the ASI has been instructed to take firm action against encroachments around protected monuments as per legal provisions.
Action Taken Reports, along with photographic evidence, are to be submitted regularly to the LG Secretariat, CM Office, and Health Minister’s Office. It was also decided that the LG, CM, and Health Minister will soon visit the hospital complexes. A delegation of students and doctors will be invited to meet the Chief Minister and present their concerns.
Today’s meeting has set the stage for a long-overdue clean-up and overhaul of Delhi’s most critical medical institutions, with a renewed focus on restoring infrastructure, ensuring safety, and reclaiming public health spaces from years of neglect and encroachment.
