At PGI, parking leaves lot to be desired

Tribune News Service

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, September 14

There seems no end to parking woes at the PGI as footfall on the campus has increased manifold. According to officials, 13,000 cars, on an average, visit the campus between 7 am and 5 pm daily. However, the parking space available can only handle 3,500 cars. Around 6,000 vehicles are parked on the campus at all times.

“It takes an hour to park a vehicle during the peak OPD hours. Sometimes, I have to park my vehicle at the Sector 11 market and walk down to the campus. The parking behind the Oral Health Sciences Centre is also haphazard,” says Ankur, a patient.

During the morning hours, there is heavy rush of visitors to the OPDs, which causes traffic congestion.

No space in peak hours

It takes an hour to park a vehicle during peak OPD hours. Sometimes, I have to park my vehicle at the Sector 11 market and walk down to the campus. — Ankur, a patient

Making temporary lots

We are creating temporary parking spaces in institute. Around 1,500-2,000 cars can be parked in vacant area opposite the Nursing Institute. — Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Dy Director, PGI

While the multi-level parking project is still awaiting environmental clearance, the hospital authorities has requested the UT Administration to set up a multi-level parking near the institute, says Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Deputy Director, PGI.

The Rs 63-crore multi-level parking project of the PGI, which was approved in 2015, will have seven floors and a basement on about 26,000 sq m, each floor having a capacity of nearly 80 cars.

The institute has also requested the Traffic Police to do a survey in and around the campus to see how the traffic can be properly regulated. The bus shuttle service on the campus will be improved so that patients or their attendants visiting by cabs or autos can get off at the main gate and reach respective departments.

The parking area adjacent to the Oral Health Science Centre will be levelled to create more space.

Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Deputy Director, PGI, says for institutional area, the institute has existing parking space for 3,753 cars, against space for 3,054 cars required under the Chandigarh building rules.

“The PGI is creating temporary parking spaces in various areas of the institute. There is a temporary parking space for 1,500-2,000 cars in a vacant area opposite the Nursing Institute. It is a 10-minute walk from the new OPD Block and a shuttle bus service will be started to facilitate patients.”

Further, a multi-level car parking for 680 vehicles in front of the New OPD Block is being created for which tenders have been floated. On a vacant piece of land available behind the Oral Health Care Science Centre (near Old Nehru Hospital), another temporary parking is being made available to accommodate 200 cars.

Infra woefully inadequate

• 13,000 cars on average visit campus from 7 am to 5 pm daily
• 6,000 vehicles are parked on campus at all times
• 3,500 cars can be parked in available parking space

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