E-Paper
Chandigarh: 8 years on, multi-level parking’s construction finally begins at PGIMER
Coming up near New OPD, the new parking will help ease parking chaos on the campus by providing space for around 680 cars
Hanging fire for eight years, work on the second multi-level parking at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has finally kicked off.
The standing finance committee of PGIMER had approved the construction of a second multi-level car parking facility next to the institute’s New OPD in 2015, but the project experienced multiple delays over the past eight years.
Estimated to cost ₹63 crore, the new parking facility will be set up on approximately 26,000 square metres of land, and feature seven floors and a basement. With each floor set to accommodate approximately 80 cars, the structure will have a total capacity of around 680 cars.
The current available parking space within the institute can accommodate only 3,753 cars, even though around 20,000 vehicles enter the campus daily.
The existing three-storey parking facility in front of New OPD can also accommodate only around 600 cars, leading to long queues of vehicles, all the way up to campus’ Gate Number 2, especially during registration hours, when finding a parking spot can take over 30 minutes.
While PGIMER faculty members have been provided five free parking spaces, and nursing and other staff members have access to 12 free parking lots, the limited parking spaces for patients leads to daily chaos.
Due to the inadequate parking space, visitors are forced to park their vehicles on internal roads, causing frequent to traffic snarls.
Consequently, visitors are often compelled to park their vehicles as far as near the Nursing Institute and Research Block that requires a 15-minute walk to return to New OPD, a major hassle for patients and their attendants. Cars parked on roads are frequently towed away, further adding to their woes.
PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal said, “The project faced delays due to environmental clearance issues. Now, work has started and the construction is expected to be completed within the next year and a half.”
