British-era Civil Surgeon office in Jalandhar to be demolished next week

The decks are finally cleared for the construction of a Rs 33 crore Critical Care Unit (CCU) at the place where the Civil Surgeon’s office stands. To construct the building, over 20 old trees at the office are being axed. The trees are as old as 75 to 80 years.

There had been a stand off between the Civil Surgeon’s office staff and hospital administration over the demolition of the office in Jalandhar for the past six months.

Centre-backed project

We are thankful to employees for agreeing to vacate the building. Under the project, the Centre will provide the cost of construction, equipment and human resource funding for five years. Dr Jyoti Sharma, Civil Surgeon

As many as 90 staff members of the office, including the Civil Surgeon, along with district records dating back to 1940s, have been shifted to offices at six different offices, spare rooms and dilapidated buildings to make do until the new CS office comes up. The process to axe the trees has also begun, these include peepal, amaltas, mango, firangipani and other trees which beautify the office premises.

The trees are being axed and around 10 have been felled. Officials said these trunks would be auctioned through the Forest Department. The PWD and Forest Department have been tasked with planting 100 saplings in their place. They said the old CS office building was set to be demolished next week.

The CS office building was constructed in 1940s in the British era and Dr Shamsher Singh Sandhu was the first Civil Surgeon.

The 100-bedded, three-storeyed new Critical Care Unit is a Rs 33 crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. It will have a ground floor spanning 17,000 square feet. It will house isolation rooms, isolation wards, blood bank, MCH block, Labour Delivery Recovery and High Dependency Unit facilities, two OTs, ICU, X-ray, nursing and doctor rooms.

It is after six months of dharnas and protests by the staff that the decks were cleared to shift the office – after a marathon meeting on August 29. Officials said the critical care unit would be ready in 12 to 15 months.

The erstwhile Civil Surgeon’s office houses the National Health Mission, statistical branch (handles birth and death records), health branch, reimbursement branch, establishment branch, accounts branch, food branch, epidemiologist, malaria branch and dental branch.

Sandeep Verma, XEN, PWD said, “The work to axe trees has begun and the building will be demolished. The critical care unit is expected to be ready in 12 to 15 months.”

Staff shifted to offices

The staff have now been shifted to the PPE unit, dilapidated old-age home, 3rd floor of the de-addiction centre, Red Cross Unit and ayurvedic/homeopathic dispensary offices. Some staff members complained that the rooms are without curtains, non-functional fans and dirty windows. The new CS office, planned to be constructed near the mortuary, will be a 11,200 square feet multi-storeyed space.