The area was not a designated parking lot and was originally meant to house a new building of Block FChandigarh Health Secretary, Yashpal Garg, is set to take a stock of all pending projects this week during a review meeting, and one of the key projects that is likely to feature on top of his agenda is a proposed multi-level parking lot for visitors at GMCH-32 that has been hanging fire for some time.
The multi-level parking, which is likely to be one of the 25 projects to be discussed by the Health Secretary, was conceived with the aim of easing traffic flow and congestion near the health hub, officials said.
The Director Principal of GMCH-32 Dr Jasbinder Kaur on Tuesday said that a feasibility report has been received from the Engineering Department of Chandigarh, and the same has been sent to the architecture wing of UT. According to the chief architect of Chandigarh, the report will be examined as per a letter received in May this year.
The various blocks of GMCH-32 have designated parking areas for both four-wheelers and two-wheelers, and earmarked spaces for ambulances, emergency cases and the staff of the hospital.
But for many years now, the undeveloped, temporary parking space in Block E, behind the Oncology Department and near the mortuary of the hospital, has been lying in a state of complete neglect. The area is riddled with large craters, stagnant water and potholes, making it difficult for people to both park their vehicles.
As the large area is not made of concrete, rains usually worsen the condition of the area, and make it tough for people to negotiate the damaged stretch. Several parts of the parking area needing urgent attention, with slush making the area extremely uneven. Although, a parking attendant charges patients and their relatives Rs 20 to park their vehicles, there is no one in the actual parking lot to either ensure proper parking or proper maintenance.
According to a senior official from GMCH-32, the area was not a designated parking lot at all and was originally meant to house a new building of Block F. However, due to shortage of parking space in the block, people starting parking their vehicles in the space near the mortuary in Block E.
According to the security wing, guards have been deployed near the mortuary for now so that people don’t block the way with vehicles. The plan was to clear out the space. Also in the pipeline is another parking area at a little distance from the Genetics Centre.
The issue of charging a fee for keeping vehicles in an area that is not designated as a parking space will be taken up with the authorities, an official said.