Mumbai, March 4 -- A South Mumbai hospital, almost as old as India's independence, is the latest facility to face the perils of urban transformation. Ruxmani Lying-In Hospital opposite Babulnath Temple will soon move to Nana Chowk to enable a luxury high rise to come up in its place. "Our hospital building is over a century old. Although it is made of stone, the structural condition has deteriorated over the years in the portion where the healthcare facility has existed for 78 years," said Dr Jageshwar P Pandey, medical director of the Ruxmani Lying-In Hospital. "We will move out by April-May." Ruxmani Hospital is a Grade 3 heritage structure, which means that it can be demolished for reconstruction if it is in bad shape or if the new building does not interfere with the precinct's skyline. The high rise that will come in its place is 80 storeys. Moreover, the state of the hospital's preservation on the heritage list says 'Fair'. Conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah said it was terrible that the government had abandoned its responsibility towards heritage precincts and Grade 3 heritage buildings, and was allowing them to be demolished. Known as the "maternity home" locally, the hospital was established by Dr Chikubhai Chimanbhai Mehta, then a leading gynaecologist who named it after his mother. In the 1960s, he formed the Ram Ek Dharmada Trust, which, after his death, was managed by his sister Kusumben Kania, who took on the responsibility of the hospital as well. In 1980, Kania invited the Conwest Jain Group of Hospital Trust to join the trust. Ruxmani Lying-In Hospital handles around 900 childbirths annually, nearly 40% of which are from the underprivileged section. Besides having obstetricians, gynaecologists, neonatologists and paediatric surgeons to cater to a cross-section of society, until recently the hospital also provided ophthalmology surgeries in association with Lions Club and Dr Kulin Kothari, founder of the Bombay City Eye Institute & Research Centre. The eye clinic was housed in the neighbouring building since 1991, until it also had to move elsewhere when the plot was acquired by the Dhuleva Group, the construction firm that has also taken over the Ruxmani Hospital building. For nearly six months now, the eye clinic has been operating at K G Mittal Hospital outside Charni Road Railway Station. These are only two of the four plots that the Dhuleva Group has acquired. Put together, the four plots account for over 3,000 square metres, which is less than the 4,000 square metres needed for cluster redevelopment. The builder bought out all the other homes and commercial establishments on the four plots, paying an average of Rs 40,000 to 50,000 per square foot. The residences here were spacious, between 1,500 and 2,000 sq ft. Even the landlords' interests have been taken care of by the Dhuleva Group, which has spent a little over Rs 300 crore on acquiring development rights. The revamp project will be executed under Development Control Regulations 33(7) meant for the reconstruction of dilapidated and unsafe buildings in the island city. This rule allows a developer higher FSI to rehabilitate tenants in the same location. However, in this case, "of the nearly 30 tenants who resided on the four plots, only two or three will move back to the modern, luxurious structure", said Anuj Mehta, partner and CEO of the Dhuleva Group. Each of the new residences in the new tower will be up to 4,500 sq ft and may be sold for around Rs 1.25 lakh per sq ft. "Each floor will have one apartment. Although the building will be 80 floors high, it will house only 50 residences," said Mehta. The civil aviation nod has permitted the construction to go up to 290 metres. The initial 12 to 13 floors will be for parking. There will be three to four floors for amenities, and the balance will be a mix of refuge and service floors. Some of the amenities will include a cafe, a sports arena, separate suites for visiting guests and a business centre for those wanting to hold meetings or work without stepping out. Dr Pandey said the hospital would not shut down permanently. "We will temporarily shift to Shreepati Arcade at Nana Chowk for four or five years and return to the original location where a dedicated new building with a larger carpet area will await all of us," he said. The hospital's current area is around 8,700 sq ft while the Nana Chowk facility will be smaller at approximately 7,700 sq ft. The new building is supposed to have over 10,000 sq ft of carpet area....