HC orders ESIC Hospital Andheri Completion by August 15

Mumbai: After the massive fire incident in December 2018, the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Andheri East remained non-operational all these years. The Bombay High Court, through a recent judgement, ordered the corporation to finish rebuilding its Model Super Speciality Hospital in Andheri East by August 15, 2025.

Disposing of the PIL filed by Rajesh Sharma, former Deputy Mayor of Mumbai, the court has also asked ESIC to make sure the hospital starts functioning by January 31, 2026, which was badly damaged in the fire in December 2018.

The order came after a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Rajesh Sharma, former Deputy Mayor of Mumbai. Sharma, through his lawyers Rahul Kamerkar and Aparajita Jha, urged the court to take action as the hospital had not resumed services even after more than five years.

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The Indian Express has reporetd that the PIL stated that the Andheri Model ESIC Hospital used to give various services such as OPD (Out-Patient Department), IPD (In-Patient Department), ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and Super Speciality services.

Through his PIL, Sharma raised concerns that ESIC has not taken any steps to restart the said hospital despite over five years having passed since the fire incident. The said hospital is the largest ESIC hospital in the city with a capacity of nearly 350 beds and superspeciality facilities.

Medical Dialogues in 2018 reported about an unfortunate fire incident in the 5th storey Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in MIDC, Marol, in Andheri that took away six lives and injured more than 145 people. Later, the death toll increased to 11 people.

The victims were immediately rushed to the other hospitals: RN Cooper Hospital, Thackeray Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari, Holy Spirit Hospital and Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri, Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, and Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon.

The fire broke out on the fourth floor of ESIC and happened on December 17, 2018, when 20 LPG cylinders were stored under a staircase without proper permission, leading to a tragic accident.

In response, advocate Shailesh Pathak for ESIC Director General submitted minutes of the 235th special meeting of its Standing Committee held on January 23, 2025 and stated that the National Building Construction Company (NBCC) has undertaken the work of construction of the hospital and has agreed to hand over the renovated building of the hospital on or before August 15, 2025. Pathak added that ESIC shall make ” all endeavours in right earnest” to commence the functioning of the said hospital on or before January 31, 2026.

The bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Makarand Karnik noted the timeline and disposed of the PIL, instructing ESIC to complete construction and to make the hospital operational within the timeline as promised.

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