Chandigarh: Stuck in slow lane, PGI-PU underpass project’s cost triples in five years

Hanging fire for five years, the estimated project cost of the underpass between Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) and Panjab University (PU) has ballooned to ₹25 crore, from ₹8 crore in 2019, as per the revised estimates filed by the UT engineering department.

A senior officer from the engineering department said, “Since there were some changes in the plan, the estimate has been revised from ₹8 crore to ₹25 crore. We are currently in the process of finalising the revised estimate.”

The project, aimed at offering safe passage to pedestrians on the busy stretch, was approved in 2019 by the then UT administrator VP Singh Badnore. Nearly 10,000 people, mostly students, patients and their attendants, use the stretch every day. Due to heavy vehicular movement, especially CTU buses that pick and drop PU students and patients, visiting PGIMER, this is an accident-prone area. The underpass is expected to bring down accidents and facilitate smoother vehicular movement.

The original plan has seen multiple modifications. Earlier, it was suggested that the entry and exit points of the underpass should be on the premises of PGI and PU so that buses have enough space to pick and drop passengers. But after both institutions refused to spare a 60 sq yd piece of land on their respective premises, the plan was altered and the width of the underpass was reduced from 17 metres to 16.5 metres to ensure it falls on a limited area that falls under the administration, not extending beyond the road.

As per the revised plan, the underpass will have eight booths of 2.5x2.5 metres each, instead of the 20 originally proposed. Due to space constraints, escalators have been excluded from the design, and only lifts and ramps will be constructed on both sides.

After modifications in the plan, the sub-committee of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) had approved the amended design of the underpass in July 2023, but the urban planning department is yet to prepare the final project drawings.

The Chandigarh MC, which was assigned the task of shifting the sewer and storm water pipelines before the start of the underpass construction, is also yet to yet to start work.

“We are waiting for the revised drawings from the architecture department. Once we receive them, we will move forward with the execution. Despite several reminders, the department of urban planning has not provided the required drawings. Even the municipal corporation has not taken any action so far,” a senior UT official said.