In need of help: The Victoria Memorial Maternity Home at Byculla that is being used as a gambling and drinking den by local youths  New cause: A medicine cabinet at the maternity home has been turned into a shelf to store liquor.
Pics: M M Shirodkar The howls of newborn babies at the Victoria Memorial Maternity Home, Byculla, have been replaced by shouts of a less innocent kind. Ever since the hospital was shut down a decade ago for repairs by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it has been used as a gambling den by local youths.
When this reporter visited the two-storey building, a group of youths who were playing cards hurriedly made their exit. A medicine cabinet had been turned into a place for storing liquor. There is no furniture or equipment in the place and all that remains in working condition are some tubelights all the fans have been stolen.
Apparently, every day around 25 youths meet at the erstwhile maternity home for a drink and a game of cards.
Local corporator Janardan Yadav said that for some mysterious reason the corporation was delaying restarting the home. The home was closed around 10 years ago as the wooden beams and columns had become very weak. Three years ago, the corporation spent more than Rs 20 lakh on repairs.
Iron beams were put up and some tiles from the roof were replaced, but surprisingly the hospital hasnt been opened, he said.
Yadav said that despite repeated complaints, senior health officials only pleaded that they didnt have the funds to restart the home. According to civic officials, around Rs 6 lakh is needed to get the home operating again.
While the youths use the home as a hang-out, a couple of years ago squatters had made themselves comfortable in the staff quarters. Yadav said the illegal encroachers were evicted after repeated complaints to the BMC and police. We asked the corporation to at least lock the staff quarters as we heard some interested parties were trying to sell off the rooms, added the Congress corporator.
Residents in the area are feeling the pinch of the homes continued closure. Resident Mahesh Padaya said, The closure of the home hit us hard as it was the only maternity home in the area. We have to get admitted to private hospitals, which are quite expensive.
Additional municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him. When contacted, Executive Health Officer Ramesh Kathuria said the BMC had placed advertisements in newspapers seeking participation of private players in restarting the hospital.
He added they had lodged complaints at the local police station when they were informed that gambling and drinking was going on there.
The hospital stands on a sprawling 12,000 to 15,000 square feet plot. It was built and donated by Currimbhoy Ebrahim in memory of his daughter Kamarkhanum and is also known as the Kamarkhanum Nursing Home.
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