Gurgaon: The villagers of Ullawas in Haryana, where a charitable hospital by Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Trust is proposed, have said that a piece of land has been given on "lease" for 33 years to the trust for the health facility on "no-profit and no-loss" basis and that it has nothing to do with the ongoing controversy.
"The land has not been sold. The panchayat is still the owner of the land and such a super-speciality hospital in the area will cater to our health needs for which we have to go to AIIMS or GB Pant hospital," former sarpanch of Ullahwas Surender said.
He said Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Trust had approached the gram panchayat of Ullawas to set up the charitable eye hospital in the village and requested to lease nearly five acres of the land for the purpose.
"Since there was no hospital to cater to eye problems which are quite common in elderlies in the area, the gram panchayat in an unanimous decision agreed to lease five acres and three marla of its land to the trust subject to strict conditions at concessional rate of Rs 1,000 per acre per year," he said.
"The land to Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Trust has been given on strict conditions like it cannot be used for any other purpose for which it has been given. It will not be further transferred or sub-leased. Hospital will be run on 'no profit no loss' basis," Rajwati Ambawata, block pramukh of Sohna told.
She said the rent of land will keep on increasing at the rate of five per cent after every five years. Ambawata said through this project concessional treatment will be available to poor and needy patients and free treatment to below poverty line people besides opening employment opportunities in class IV category.
In a statement, CEO of the trust Y S P Thorat said that the land continues to be owned by the gram panchayat. He said the trust corresponded directly with the gram panchayat and was leased gram sabha land by the gram panchayat for 33 years through due process, without any concessions and according to the provisions of the law.
Speaking on the behalf of the trust, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi termed the controversy as classic case of "misinformation and distortion coupled with complete lack of knowledge of the real facts".
"Unknown to the trust, even before the trust's application for lease in July 2009, the land had been notified for acquisition under section four as part of much larger batch of 1417 acres," he said.
Singhvi, who is also the Congress spokesperson said, "Still later, a large chunk of 608 acres out of this 1,417 acres was dropped from acquisition at different times in 2010. This chunk of 608 acres included nominal five acre which has merely been leased to the trust.
"Those who are trying to politicise the issue first forget that they are obstructing genuine charitable activity involving personal or private benefits."
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