Established in the year 1952, Maharani Shantadevi Hospital is yet another example of neglect of authorities towards heritage. Located on the Indira Avenue (Jail Road), it was demolished by the authorities to raise a commercial complex.
Earlier the building used to function as an office for the Gaekwads, with the hospital only being established in the year 1952. It is said that before being converted to the hospital it was called Kusum Villa. The hospital was run by Maharani Shantadevi Trust, and was opened to serve poor patients. It began as Nursing Home, but later all kinds of medical treatments were included in it’s services.
Demolition :
In 2013, the trust decided to cease the functioning of the multi-speciality hospital with 43-bed facility, after it was discovered that the building has become weak and could crumble. According to the authorities, the building had developed several cracks due to lack of maintenance.
When asked about the matter, one of the members of the royal family was quoted saying : “Half of the building is already dilapidated, so it has to be brought down”. It was also said that the building did not qualify as a “heritage structure”, and therefore did not need to be conserved.
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Once the winner of National Award for ‘Child-Friendly Hospital’, the institute not only consisted of built heritage but it’s compound was also home to more than a hundred trees. Despite of efforts by concerned citizens and conservationists, the building along with the trees was razed to ground.
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