Nursing home residents refuse to give in

• Source: Global Times
• [00:22 July 02 2009]
• Comments

By Wang Anna

A fireman fills containers with water yesterday at the Beijing nursing home. Photo: Wang Anna

The residents of a Beijing nursing home were deprived of electricity and water yesterday morning, as a village government “once again” attempted to get them to move out, its owner told the Global Times.

“They do things like this to try and get us out, so they can do something more profitable with the land,” proprietor Wang Yan said.

About 150 elderly people live at the Jiade nursing home, which is close to the east Fifth Ring Road in the village of Gaoxidian, Chaoyang district.

Wang said she and her husband took possession of the land on a 10-year lease from the village government in 2005, for which they pay 300,000 yuan ($44,000) a year for rent.

The contract she presented to the Global Times showed the lease did not expire until 2015.

“In 2007, the government asked if we would move to a new site, but it was beside a railway line and would have been far too noisy for our elderly residents” she said.

“But since land prices went up all over the area, they don’t even offer us that option now,” she said.

Police arrived at the nursing home yesterday after Wang called them to report the lack of water and electricity. An officer said he had been told by the village government the utilities had been cut off due to an “equipment malfunction.”

Zhang Fusheng, deputy chief of Gaobeidian township, which administers Gaoxidian, said neither the township nor village governments had deliberately cut off the power.

“We are very concerned about the welfare of senior citizens living at the nursing home,” he said.

A fire engine arrived at the home at about 4 pm yesterday, after another call from Wang.
She said she had called the fire department “many times” in the past.

Residents and staff lined up as firefighters filled dozens of buckets, barrels and other water containers.

“Take some of that water and use it to flush the toilet right away. It stinks,” 79-year-old resident Zhang Lingru shouted from the line.

“Many of the old people living here, like me, have nowhere else to go, but the government still wants us out,” he said.

“Last year, when several old people and their families went to talk to the government, a township official called Mr Liu said the nursing home was in the wrong place, as most of the land around here is supposed to be used for hotels and restaurants,” Zhang said.

The water and electricity supplies resumed at about 6 pm yesterday, Wang told the Global Times.