Jitendra Awhad moves temporary accommodation of cancer patients to Bombay Dyeing Mills – Hindustan Times

A day after chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray stayed a decision of providing 100 Mhada (Maharashtra Housing Development Authority) flats at a redeveloped building near Currey Road to Tata Memorial Hospital for temporary accommodation of cancer patients, the state housing department has decided to provide the same at Bombay Dyeing Mills premises at Wadala. State housing minister Jitendra Awhad made the announcement on Wednesday.

The housing department had decided to provide 100 Mhada flats to Tata Memorial Hospital for providing temporary accommodation to cancer patients who have come from other states at a nominal rate of ₹1. However, following objection from local Shiv Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhary, the CM stayed its implementation. Chaudhary had said the people in the surrounding buildings were opposing the facility there.

The keys of the flats were handed over to the hospital authorities in May by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar.

Awhad on Wednesday tried to downplay the issue and said the CM asked him to find a suitable place. “There was some kind of misunderstanding among locals, to which the CM said he has no objection to the project and asked me to identify a suitable place at the earliest. We have decided to provide temporary accommodation to cancer patients in Mhada flats developed at Bombay Dyeing Mills premises,” Awhad told reporters.

Chaudhary, an MLA from Sewri constituency, said over 1,000 families living in the vicinity objected to it. He added that he had requested the housing minister to move it to another place but grievances were unheard, following which he requested the chief minister to intervene.