Unending chaos and queues at PGI

CHANDIGARH: There seems to be no end to the parking problem at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). In what has come as a blow to the authorities, the plan to establish more parking lots has hit a roadblock as two builders, who had come forward to construct a multi-level parking lot, were disqualified due to a strict tender clause.

Traffic snarls at the New OPD Block of the PGI during the rush hours are a routine affair. Tribune Photo: Pradeep Tewari

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

There seems to be no end to the parking problem at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

In what has come as a blow to the authorities, the plan to establish more parking lots has hit a roadblock as two builders, who had come forward to construct a multi-level parking lot, were disqualified due to a strict tender clause. As per the clause, a builder should be experienced as far as maintaining a parking lot is concerned. He should be earning a revenue of over Rs 100 crore from such projects.

Sources said the authorities were planning to float yet another tender by tweaking the clause. “It is a race against time. Within a year, a 250-bed hospital will also be operational. More patients mean more vehicles. In order to meet the demand, we need to build more parking lots, otherwise things will turn from bad to worse,” said an official.

The institute had decided to construct a new parking facility with a capacity of around 750 cars. A tender in this regard was also floated. The sources said the multi-level parking facility would come up at the old market located near Nehru Hospital.

Every day, over 15,000 vehicles enter the PGI. A parking attendant said 8,000 cars came to the hospital daily whereas the parking lots could accommodate only 3,000 cars.

Not only patients, even doctors and employees were facing the problem. Each day from 9 am to 10 am, the road leading to the PGI witnessed a massive traffic jam. Many patients and their relatives park vehicles at the Sector 11 market, while others leave cars along the road.

“Many a time, the condition of patients deteriorate as a lot of time is wasted in parking lots,’ said Subash Chandra, a PGI employee.

Earlier, to save doctors from the chaos, the PGI had introduced automated electronic barriers parking managed by the radio-frequency identification (RFID) system.

At present, the biggest parking facility at the institute is the multi-level parking lot in front of the New OPD Building. It can accommodate 600 cars.

The parking facility (for cars) is available at the rear of Nehru Hospital near the Research Block, Advanced Paediatrics Centre and Dr PN Chuttani Block.

A security guard said VIP vehicles compounded the problem. Patients visiting Nehru Hospital are the worst-hit as they have to park their vehicles near the Advanced Paediatrics Centre or the Research Block located 500 m away.