Residents of KEM quarters in panic

A 19-year-old boy suffered injuries on his right leg when a concrete slab from the ceiling of his KEM hospital staff quarters fell on him yesterday morning, triggering panic among the residents of the dilapidated two-storey building.

Sandeep Mewati, the victim, was immediately rushed to the casualty ward and thenu00a0 admitted to the orthopedic department.

The residents of Marium Chawl have been complaining about the sorry state of the building and use of "substandard material" in repairing work.
u00a0
"We fear the ceilings of our quarters will also come crumbling down anytime as the contractor is using substandard material for repairs," said a staffer residing at the quarters.

The residents have been demanding bigger and better rooms with attached bathroom but the hospital authorities have only been able to complete the repairing work, which has been going on for quite some time now. At present, the staffers are provided 8X8 feet room.

Mangala Shinde, wife ofu00a0 X-ray assistant Mangesh who has been allotted a room in the two-storey building, said, "The roof of our room has become weaker over the years, it may come down anytime. We have requested the authorities many a times to repair it properly, but to no avail.

"We have been writing letters to the authorities to change our room since 2007, but that attempt too proved futile. Will the hospital management take responsibility if the roof collapses and some casualties happen?"

The Other Side
When MiD DAY contacted the Dean of KEM hospital, SN Oak, he refused to say anything on the issue, terming it an "internal matter" of the facility.