Srinagar, April 30: Despite being relocated to Bemina, the children’s hospital in Srinagar continues to experience vendor chaos, despite recommendations for their relocation to another location.
Attendants who visit the 500 bedded hospital daily face inconvenience and it has become an easy spot for vendors and passengers vehicles especially cabs causing discomfort to people.
“They should not be allowed outside the hospital and it has become a source of inconvenience for the patients visiting here from different parts of Kashmir,” said Javid Ahmad, an attendant from Budgam.
Attendants said that the vendors should be given a separate space near the hospital or other place but not at the main gate. They said it was affecting the aesthetics of the hospital.
“The government has spent so much of money for this largest pediatric hospital in the valley and vendors have messed up the main gate area,” he said.
Bilal Ahmad, an attendant said people visiting the hospital often are angry with the vendor mess which was causing crowds and hindering movement of vehicles including ambulances.
In September 2022, the J&K administration had shifted the GB Pant Hospital to the newly constructed hospital in Bemina and the vendors occupied its main gate.
Officials of the hospital said that many times the vendors were disallowed but they have again occupied the space at the front gate of the hospital and the chaos continues.
The hospital had requested the government many times but nothing has been done so far and the same has become a source of infection and source of waste outside the hospital.
The hospital has written to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Divisional Commissioner Office for the same but the matter has not been resolved so far.
“The hospital administration has written a number of letters and communications to the higher-ups but these letters have not been answered so far,” an official said.
The official admitted the vendor mess is causing a lot of inconvenience to commuters and patients visiting the hospital and being on a busy national highway it increases risk of road accidents.
“This is an illegal occupation of the outside hospital road on the left and right side of the main hospital gate by street vendors and sumo drivers,” the hospital official said.
