Why residents of a posh South Delhi locality are opposing construction of a 400

It has been more than two years that a group of residents of Greater Kailash-1 in South Delhi have been sporadically protesting against the construction of a 400-bed hospital by the Medanta group near Archana Complex.

Why?

A hospital in the vicinity could increase traffic and parking woes, create additional pressure on civic infrastructure and generation of biomedical waste could trigger a public health hazard, they say.

Even as a petition filed last year by residents, raising objections over the ownership of the land and project approvals, is being heard in theDelhiHigh Court, the construction at the site has been ongoing, they complain.

The protests first began in 2023 and have been held more frequently since last July.

According to Rajiv Kakaria, RWA chairperson in GK-1, the locality does not need another hospital.

“Within a radius of 3-4 km, there are several large hospitals — Max, Apollo, Escorts, Holy Family Hospital and AIIMS.

Building another 400-bed hospital in the middle of a residential colony will only increase traffic, pollution and commercialisation,” he says.

Kakaria, who is also the lead petitioner on behalf of the Greater Kailash Residents’ Association (GKRA) in the Delhi High Court, underlines that a special committee was formed from within the residents’ body to examine the legal records related to the land.

According to him, the disputed site comprises two plots of roughly one acre each.

“One plot is owned by the MCD and the other byDLF… but both were given on perpetual lease following a settlement agreement between the two in 1989,” he claims.

Residents have argued in the High Court that the project violates conditions of the original lease agreement and that the permissions should be withdrawn until the ownership dispute is resolved.

“One of the lease conditions clearly states that whatever activity takes place on the plot should not cause nuisance to the neighbours.

A 400-bed private hospital in the middle of a residential colony will inevitably create disturbance,” Kakaria says.

TheIndian Expressdid not receive a response to queries to the Medanta group in this regard.

Renu Rosha, member of RWA, GK 1, says they have raised the matter with public representatives too.

“So far we have given representation to Parvesh Verma, Bansuri Swaraj, MLA Shika Roy and the former L-G (V K Saxena) as well,” she adds.

The residents took out a protest march earlier this week and are now planning to meet CMRekha Gupta.

The protests intensified after residents began examining historical land records.

According to Kakaria, some individuals claiming ancestral ownership of the land approached the residents with old documents suggesting that parts of the property may not have been legally transferred decades ago.

“They brought records going back 200 to 300 years, including the original village maps showing that this was agricultural land with a drain and a water body,” he says.

The residents’ association subsequently filed multiple RTIs and examined revenue documents.

According to Kakaria, their findings raised questions about the ownership of certain khasra numbers associated with the plots.

“When we checked the documents, some of the khasra numbers did not appear in the ownership records of DLF.

If the ownership itself is disputed, then how were all the construction permissions granted?” he questions, adding, “Our contention is that the due procedure has not been followed.”
Kakaria says a geospatial study of historical maps indicated that part of an old drain running through the area may have been encroached upon during development.

“The original maps show the nala was much wider.

If construction has encroached upon a water body, that would also violate Supreme Court guidelines,” he says.

According to Kakaria, the court has not yet granted an immediate stay but is hearing the matter.

“The court said it would hear both sides before deciding on a stay.

Our next hearing is on April 7,” he says.

Residents’ bodies, Kakaria says, have instead demanded that the land be used for a community facility where elderly citizens can gather and spend time.

“This is a 60- to 70-year-old colony with many senior residents.

We have been demanding public utilities for the past 30–40 years.

This land could have been given for a community centre or other facilities for residents,” Kakaria adds.

More demonstrations against the project are planned in the coming weeks.

“People are getting restless because of the delay in the court and the work continuing on the ground,” says Kakaria.

Residents have also commissioned a traffic survey through a reputed traffic institute and included the findings in their court petition.

Apart from legal concerns, residents have raised environmental and urban planning issues.

“During peak hours the roads are already choked due to schools and markets in the vicinity.

These are residential roads about 80 feet wide and not designed to handle the traffic a large hospital will generate,” he says.

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