In absence of safe pedestrian crossing, patients put life on the line to reach PGI
The situation is no better at PGI Gate 2, located between Sectors 11 and 12. This is the gate one has to take to reach the outpatient department (OPD), which sees a daily footfall of nearly 10,000 patients.
For most people, anxiety before visiting a hospital is common. But for patients visiting the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education (PGIMER), this comes with the added worry of making it safely to the premises. Both gates of the institute – the main gate, which faces Panjab University (PU), and Gate No 2, between Sectors 11 and 12, are located on busy stretches, making it difficult for patients and attendants to cross the road, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
Tarsem Lal, 69, a patient who had come to get an appointment for an MRI scan, was spotted waiting for several minutes before crossing the road from the PU side to reach the PGI main gate. Along with the car and two-wheelers speeding on this stretch, the influx of Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses, bringing patients and PU students, also adds to the chaos here. “It is very difficult to cross this road. Most of us are already weak due to our ailments. And when one sees vehicles speeding on this stretch and barely caring for pedestrians, one gets scared while crossing the road. There should be an overbridge, an underpass, or at least traffic lights on this stretch,” he said. While there is a zebra crossing here, the absence of traffic lights means motorists rarely stop to give way to pedestrians.
The situation is no better at PGI Gate 2, located between Sectors 11 and 12. This is the gate one has to take to reach the outpatient department (OPD), which sees a daily footfall of nearly 10,000 patients. Due to the absence of a road divider, motorists often take a u-turn in front of this gate, posing a risk to pedestrians. “No one stops to let a pedestrian pass. Crossing this road with a patient is impossible. My aunt is to get a spine surgery at PGI soon, I can’t risk making her cross this road,” said an Anandpur Sahib resident who was spotted near Gate 2. The stretch has zebra crossings, but are all faded.
Dr Nishant, faculty at PGIMER, recalled how he became a victim of road rage while trying to cross the road from the PU side. “I had gestured at a car to slow down so I could cross. The driver got offended and ended up assaulting me. If even doctors are not allowed safe passage, can you imagine the plight of patients, most of whom are in a frail state,” he said, adding that it is disheartening to see it happening outside one of the premier healthcare institutions of the country.
Plans to construct an underpass between the PU and PGI gates have been in discussion since 2017, but there hasn’t been much progress since the then UT administrator gave a go-ahead for it in 2019. The underpass is expected to cost ₹11 crore.
Chief engineer CB Ojha said, “The final drawing of the underpass, with all measurements, has been sent to the architectural department. As soon as we receive the approval, we will start the tender process. We expect to start the work before December.”
On the situation at PGI’s Gate 2, he said the road had been under the municipal corporation’s jurisdiction until a few days ago. “Now that it is under UT, we will look at measures to make it safer for pedestrians,” Ojha said.
