By Syed Zubair Ahmad
The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) building, a stately structure built near Parliament on the land donated by the last Nawab of Junagadh, faces bleak future as the government has asked the humanitarian organization to “hand over” the land in order to “optimize” the utility of the prime property.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued a notice to the IRCS ‘to hand over 2.6 acres of land at the earliest’ for optimization of the prime property in the Lutyens’ Delhi.
While the building remained off the compass of the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista Project, the evacuation notice served to the IRCS is likely to upset scores of beneficiaries.
The government communiqué underlines: “The plot of IRSC measuring 2.6 acres will help improve the efficiency of land utilization and construction planning at the site of MPs Chambers. Besides, the present building of IRCS also overlooks the New Parliament Building posing security concerns.”
It is to be noted that the new Parliament building, which is in the final phase of completion, stands at the intersection of the triangle of the IRS and the Raisina Road. As a result, officials deliberated upon the security concerns in several meetings in this regard.. The Times of India, quoting sources, reported in May 2022 that the issues of a “traffic study and security requirement on the Red Cross Road have come up in several review meetings in the recent months which were attended by the representatives of the construction company and design consultant.” However, there were no concrete reasons with regard to the security mentioned in the recent order.
“This building doesn’t fall under the Central Vista project. Now the new parliament building is almost complete, I don’t know what prompted the government to acquire this important building which saves the lives of millions of people,” said one person who frequently visits the place.
The Central Vista Project, which is set to house a new Parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamped three-km-long Rajpath, extends from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. There were objections to the redevelopment designs as several historical monuments came under it but the government remained undeterred ostensibly to do away with “British footprints”.
“Since the location is well-connected, needy people reach here easily. We have facilities for all sorts of transportations,” said one person who came to collect the blood for his sons suffering from Thalassemia.
“I have been coming here for the last 15 years. When my son was small I used to come here once a month, but now I come weekly as he is now grown up and needs more blood. The society provides blood to over 800 Thalassemia patients on a regular basis,” he added.
“The five-storied building is a beacon of hope for millions. We work from ground and fifth floor, rest floors are on rent. We depend on rental money to pay the salary of staff. I don’t know how the Society will manage it,” said an employee on condition of anonymity.
The land for the IRCS was donated by Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III the fourth son of HH Nawab Sir Muhammad Rasul Khanji, the last ruling nawab of Junagadh. It is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and shares the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society provides relief in times of disasters/emergencies and promotes healthcare of vulnerable people and communities. It has a network of over 1100 branches and over 50000 volunteers throughout India. The Society provides approximately 3 million units of blood to the needy people. It is also associated with St John Ambulance India which provides ambulance facilities across the country.
During 2020-21, the society deployed over 50k volunteers, provided 25000 oxygen concentrates,1000 oxygen cylinders, 200 ventilators, 250 ambulances, Covid care facilities in 32 hospitals, 79 diagnostic centers and 77 quarantine centers collected 2 lac unit of bloods, 200 plus help lines apart from testing / vaccination support to government hospitals across the country.
Un fairy decesion
It is a good organisation allover world
Provide good place