Kapurthala, May 16 -- The district administration has demolished a nearly 90-year-old British-era building of the Kapurthala civil hospital to pave the way for the construction of a modern medical facility, triggering outrage among historians, members of the erstwhile royal family and local residents over the loss of the city's heritage.

Christened Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji State Institute of Medical Sciences, the upcoming Rs.275-crore project will comprise a 300-bed hospital and a medical college with 100 MBBS seats. It will replace the existing Randhir Jagatjit Civil Hospital and is scheduled to be completed by March 2028.

Commissioned by Kapurthala Maharaja Jagatjit Singh and built in phases between 1937 and 1941, the sprawling four-acre...