Coimbatore: In a goof up, the civic body has allocated a building listed as a polling booth for a hospice. With assembly poll around the corner, it is compelled to vacate the building. The civic body, which had spent over Rs5 lakh to renovate the building in the past few months, would now provide an alternate location for the hospice.
The city corporation has asked NGO Helping Hearts, which was awarded the contract, to vacate the building.
"We had made all arrangements to shift some people from Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) and we were to officially open the hospice this weekend. The patients were informed of this and they were happy. But, now we are clueless and do not know where to shift the furniture, equipment and people," said Ganesh, managing trustee of the NGO. Helping Hearts was to set up a hospice at the location and to care for over 50 bedridden patients discharged from hospitals.
Corporation commissioner K. Vijaya karthikeyan said they weren't aware that the building was listed as a polling booth while awarding the tender.
"The contract was awarded for a period of one year and so we will provide them an alternate location. The building would be used for some other purpose," he said.
In the past, residents in the area said, the building was used as a polling booth and for various government functions. "Shifting the inmates once in every four years is not practical," said a resident.
According to ward councillor Senthil, of AIADMK, the residents were opposed to opening the hospice in the building. "The residents were against the night shelter. I had brought it to mayor's notice, besides writing to civic body officials. I was neither consulted nor informed about this initiative," Senthil said. When asked if he had read the council resolution, the AIADMK leader was evasive.
Civic body officials, meanwhile, said they would allocate a building at Kempatti colony to the NGO for temporarily setting up the hospice, until a resolution was passed for an alternative location.