Itanagar, Jan 5: Patients and attendants visiting the Rama Krishna Mission (RKM) Hospital in Itanagar continued to face serious inconvenience due to an acute shortage of parking space, compounding the stress of hospital visits.
One of the largest tertiary charitable healthcare institutions in the Arunachal Pradesh capital, RKM Hospital catered to nearly 10,000 people daily, including patients, attendants and visitors. However, inadequate parking infrastructure led to chronic congestion within and around the hospital premises.
Visitors were often seen circling the hospital for long periods in search of parking, resulting in delays and heightened anxiety. Several attendants said the lack of proper parking management added to the difficulties faced during medical emergencies.
Many visitors demanded that the adjacent Vivekananda Park be converted, either temporarily or permanently, into an extended parking facility in the larger public interest. They argued that the vast open space could provide immediate relief to the persistent congestion.
Sources said the issue had been raised earlier at the administrative level. Former Itanagar Deputy Commissioner Talo Potom and several civil society organisations had reportedly urged RKM authorities to consider converting the park into a parking area, citing severe space constraints. The proposal, however, faced objections from Belur Math, the international headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in West Bengal.
The parking problem resurfaced amid discussions on infrastructure expansion, as the hospital receives significant state government aid and a new hospital complex is currently under construction. Despite these developments, patients and attendants said urgent interim measures were needed to address daily hardships.
Civil society groups and visitors have urged authorities to find a practical solution to the parking crisis to ensure smoother access to one of Itanagar’s most vital healthcare facilities.
