Bandipora, Oct 22: A late-night eviction that shut Bandipora’s district drug de-addiction centre and an adjoining old age home has left patients without treatment and elderly residents displaced, triggering allegations of a high-handed operation.
Medical staff alleged that locks were broken and equipment, luggage and personal belongings removed without prior notice.
Officials, however, cited property disputes and unpaid rent to justify the eviction.
Block Medical Officer Bandipora Dr Tahir Malik said that the Health Department was taking back the property, which had previously housed the district hospital.
“Obviously, it was a government hospital, so the health department will occupy it,” Malik said.
Asked why the eviction was carried out at night, Malik declined to provide details, saying government procedure had been followed and that the wider dispute was now sub judice.
Both facilities are run by a local non-governmental organisation with funding from the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and function under the Social Welfare Department. The premises belong to the Health Department and the Municipal Committee, respectively.
The old age home was inaugurated in October 2022, followed by the de-addiction centre in February 2023. Both were inaugurated by then deputy commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad.
The eviction reportedly took place under the cover of darkness, with belongings and medical equipment removed from the premises. The following morning, patients arriving for scheduled treatment found the de-addiction centre shut, while elderly residents were left without a place to stay.
“I was having dinner when some men came and told me to leave the premises immediately. They didn’t even let me finish my meal before forcing me out,” said Ghulam Mohammad, an elderly resident who had been living at the old age home for the past three years.
He alleged that the men went upstairs, broke into the rooms and threw furniture and belongings out of the windows.
“When I asked where I would go, they told me the administration hadn’t paid the rent and said they were not responsible for me,” he said.
At the de-addiction centre, medical officer Dr Anjum said neither the staff nor the centre’s officials had been informed about the operation.
“It was a sudden action and no member of the centre was kept in the loop,” she said.
“It was like a robbery. They came, broke the locks and brought all the luggage down. If the district administration will do these things, what can you expect from thieves?” she said.
While acknowledging that the Health Department might have a legal claim to the building, Dr Anjum questioned the manner in which the eviction was carried out.
“They are saying it is their building and they can take it, but you need to take it legally, not like thieves,” she said.
The closure has disrupted treatment for around 1,400 registered patients at the de-addiction centre. Dr Anjum said patients arriving for scheduled outpatient treatment the next morning were distressed to find the doors locked and services suspended.
“There is no place to stay put, neither has any information been shared with us,” she said, adding that staff were struggling to locate displaced equipment and find alternative premises to resume services.
An official of the Municipal Committee Bandipora, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the old age home was evicted because its operators had failed to pay rent since occupying the municipal property.
“It was given to them as a temporary accommodation, but they ended up occupying it permanently,” the official said.
The rent was initially fixed at Rs 17,000 per month, the official said, adding that no formal rent assessment had been conducted over the years, resulting in substantial outstanding dues.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Zaffar Shawal said the Health Department had reclaimed the de-addiction centre’s premises for its own requirements, distancing the district administration from the specific execution of the eviction.
“The building was under the occupation of somebody else and they took it back,” he said.
Block Medical Officer Bandipora Dr Tahir Malik confirmed that the Health Department was taking back the property, which had previously housed the district hospital.
“Obviously, it was a government hospital, so the health department will occupy it,” Malik said.
Asked why the eviction was carried out at night, Malik declined to provide details, saying government procedure had been followed and that the wider dispute was now sub judice.
Repeated calls by Greater Kashmir to Chief Medical Officer Bhajan Kour for comment went unanswered.
With both facilities shut, staff are scrambling to find alternative premises and recover equipment to resume services.
No arrangements had been communicated to the de-addiction centre staff by the time of filing this report.
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