Srinagar, Sep 30: Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to use Tattoo Ground — part of which was vacated by the Army in 2015 — for the construction of a cancer hospital and a playground instead of the historic Eidgah here.
Mehbooba’s remarks came after reports of a proposal by the J&K Waqf Board to construct a hospital at Eidgah and the divisional administration’s plan to develop a playground there.
“There has been a lot of discussion for some time now over the Eidgah land. Sometimes it is said that a cancer hospital would be built there and sometimes it is said that it will be developed as a playground. What they forget is that this land has been donated for congregational prayers,” she said here. Mehbooba said it is very important to discuss the issue and take the opinion of the Muslim community before making any changes in Eidgah.
“First, a cancer hospital should not come up near population because the waste from there can cause problems. But, if the government of India wants to construct such a hospital in Srinagar, and have a playground as well, then they have the Tattoo Ground land,” she said.
Tattoo Ground in the Batamaloo area of the city has been under Army’s use for a long time. The Jammu and Kashmir government had been asking the Army to vacate 1,000 kanals of the prime land, and in 2015, the Army had agreed to vacate 136 kanals.