Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The money minting trade has once again set its feet at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) Islamabad in the name of parking of vehicles.

The contractors have started plundering the citizens with impunity by extending their parking space to the area illegally occupied by them in addition to what has been specified in the tenders. The canteens’ administration is playing with the health of patients and their family members through the sale of unhygienic food items. All this is going on as the management of the hospital is playing the role of a glum spectator.

As many as four parking areasfor vehicles and motorcycles are existing in PIMS presently. The first parking area is located in front of the main gate. The second parking area which has been carved out illegally is located in a precinct in front of the administration gate. Over 200 metres of land space has been occupied illegally in connection with this parking area. Every vehicle owner is being charged Rs 20 against parking fee of. Rs 10. This parking fee is for motorcyclists and this way a broad day light robbery is taking place but no one is there to bust the gang of looters and plunderers.

The third parking area has been set up in front of MCH and the fourth has been established in front of the cardiac centre.

The contractors of all the four parking areas have extended their parking space illegally than the specified area in the tenders. This way the poor citizens are forced to park their motorcycles in illegally extended parking areas by paying a higher parking fee.

Three public canteens are operating in the outer premises of PIMS and they have turned into disease breeding and transmitting areas by selling contaminated and unhygienic food and fake beverage, sub standard biscuits. One has to counter the onslaught of buzzing flies when one steps into the canteen. You can see swarms upon swarms of flies sitting in the plates, tea cups and tables and chairs owing to lack of cleanliness arrangements.

One cannot resist swallowing one or two flies while dining at the tables in these canteens. The canteen contractors are at liberty to charge the citizens for selling disease in the name of meals according to rates of their own sweet will. The attendants of the patients are forced to move to these canteens as no other option is left for them.

When approached by the Daily Times, some citizens including Shaukat Khan, Riaz Paracha, Robina Bibi and Sanam Gulzar while sitting in canteens said that sub standard and low quality food items were sold out at every canteen in PIMS and one is compelled to vomit food due to bad smell and stale material. “But we have to dine in the canteens under this compulsion that we cannot go to good quality hotels as we can not leave our patients alone in wards for longer.”

They regretted that not only stale and unhealthy meals were served in these canteens but “also the contractors overcharge us. The rates of meals are higher than the hotels operating in markets”.

When contacted, vice chancellor professor Dr Javed Akram of PIMS told the Daily Times that the contract of all the car parking areas in PIMS had been awarded against tenders. Legal proceedings will be initiated against anyone who is found occupying land more than the area specified in the tenders.

He further said that the tendering process of these canteens will soon take place and old canteens were being shut and soon good quality canteens will be opened in PIMS.

Deputy Commissioner Capt Mushtaq told Daily Times that the district administration had conducted raids on PIMS canteens earlier and they were fined for serving poor quality and unhygienic food. “However no one is allowed to sell poor quality food in the Federal Capital,” he remarked.