Hyderabad: Hospital basements are used for laundry, kitchen, canteen, storage and also conference rooms, anything but parking, in the city. The basements were originally built for parking but are being used for other purposes, forcing visitors to park at adjoining roads.
Dr A.V. Ratnam of the Hospital Administration Association said, “The cellars are meant only for parking and they are supposed to be kept free. But that has been given up long ago. Some hospitals have properly-constructed conference rooms in their cellars which is not according to the law.”
He added, “We have also raised the issue of safety from time to time both with the hospital authorities and also with the government. A raid was carried out a few years ago but after that nothing has happened.”
Hospital administrators are meant to ensure that the premises are people and patient friendly so that in case of an emergency there are enough avenues to evacuate. Most of the by-lanes next to large hospitals are choked with parked cars, affecting the residents of the area. The residential colonies around Somajiguda, Sindhi Colony, Panjagutta and Khairatabad circle have been complaining to the GHMC but there has not been any respite.
Over 90% complexes fleecing residents
Over 90 per cent commercial complexes – shopping malls, hotels, hospitals and even banks – in Hyderabad continue to fleece residents by charging exorbitant rates for parking.
While it is illegal for commercial complexes to charge their customers for parking, most malls in the city are charging between Rs 20 and Rs 100 depending on the duration. As most commercial spaces on main roads lack parking facilities, customers are left with no options but to park on the roads. At times, when more than a few vehicles are parked, it leads to traffic jams and a visitor to one of the many shops might end up paying a fine to both the GHMC and the Traffic Police.
Many multi-storied hospitals convert their cellar into patient waiting sections instead of a parking area, forcing patients and visitors to park on main roads (government property). Also, many unauthorised parking attendants put up boards and generate business by allowing parking on main roads.
It is the same with hotels and restaurants, many have set up boards stating “Management is not responsible for vehicle damage, park at your risk.” However, it is mandatory for establishments to provide parking as per the license agreement.
Andhra Pradesh Building Rules 2012, applied to HMDA and GHMC areas, state that every commercial building “must” allot 40 per cent of its built up area for parking. However, many builders construct business outlets in the parking spaces to make extra money.
The rules also make toilets on every floor mandatory, but here too, the space is usually allocated elsewhere. The Town Planning wing of the municipal corporation is supposed to visit a building twice before giving permission. However, these rules have been defied by almost all buildings in the city and the GHMC has not taken any action.
Following pressure, 195 buildings were identified by the GHMC for not having adequate parking space according to the rules, however, the number actually runs in thousands. The municipal corporation had asked the identified builders to buy a building or land by forming a group and utilise the same for parking.
