ADMINISTRATION

Ownership of building disputed
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Oct 8 — The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Managing Committee of the IMA building here appear to be heading for a dispute over the issue of the possession of the building. The building was built about 15 years ago in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar here.

According to the Ludhiana district President of the IMA, Dr Gurcharan Singh, the land at BRS Nagar was meant for the construction of the state office of the IMA. However, the building is now being used as a marriage palace. A former state president of the IMA, Dr J.C. Saha, also said the land had indeed been marked for the state office of the body only.

On the other hand, the Chairman of the Managing Committee and a former state president of the IMA, Dr Ramesh Gupta, says that the building is under the control of 10 life members of the committee who have contributed money for its construction. He said the IMA had no right over the building as the body itself had handed over the building to the Managing Committee.

He said an office was being run from the building and only its lawns had been given to a marriage palace on an annual rent of Rs 70,000. He claimed that the accounts were being maintained jointly by all life members. He said the committee’s contract with the tent house that was running the marriage palace would end in December 2001 and would not be renewed. He said the building would be converted into a club.

Mr Gurcharan Singh said he had been authorised by the Punjab unit of the IMA to get the building vacated. In this regard, he has given a representation to the Municipal Commissioner of Ludhiana, in which, he has sought the removal of the structure that is used as a marriage palace. He said the land had been allotted to the IMA, but a marriage palace had been built there instead. He said the owner of the marriage palace had been given a commercial licence, while the IMA had never applied for it.

The IMA has been seeking an inquiry into the alleged misuse of the building all these years. Dr Gurcharan Singh said a land allotted to an institution could not be the personal property of a few individuals.

He said the IMA would seek the intervention of the Punjab Health Minister, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, who was also a member of the IMA.