Protest Against Privatization of Pune’s Cancer Hospital Land Led by Former MLA Mohan Joshi
Reported by Tikam Shekhawat
Pune, 3rd September 2024: Former MLA and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Vice President Mohan Joshi led a protest yesterday against the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation’s (MSRDC) decision to allocate land in Mangalwar Peth, originally meant for a cancer hospital, to a private builder.
Joshi condemned the move as a “multi-crore corruption scandal” by the ruling alliance.
During the protest at the MSRDC office, Joshi and other Congress leaders symbolically presented a garland made of currency notes to officials, highlighting the alleged corruption. The land, located opposite Sassoon Hospital, was intended for a cancer hospital under the Department of Medical Education, a project initiated by Ajit Pawar. Despite initial agreements in 2013, the project stalled, and now the land has been leased to a private builder for ₹70-80 crores for 90 years.
Joshi warned that the Congress would launch a strong agitation to ensure Pune’s cancer hospital project is realized, accusing the government of prioritizing private interests over public health. Several Congress leaders, including Chandrashekhar Kapote, Rohan Survase Patil, Prashant Surse, Prathamesh Abanave, Chetan Agarwal, Suresh Kamble, Ayub Pathan, Yashraj Parkhi, Aniket Sonawane, Swati Shinde, Anjali Solapur, Anita Makwana, Anita Dhimdhime, Advocate Monica Khlane, Umesh Kachi, Rafiq Sheikh, Krishna Sathe, Dnyaneshwar Jadhav, and Bhavesh Makwana, among others.
