CHANDIGARH, 25 June — After nearly eight years of planning delays, administrative bottlenecks and land acquisition hurdles, the long-pending underpass connecting the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) and Panjab University (PU) is finally moving ahead. The UT Administration has approved a revised budget of ₹11 crore, allowing the Engineering Department to initiate the tendering process.
Originally cleared in November 2019 by then UT Administrator V.P. Singh Badnore, the project was initially pegged at ₹7 crore. However, prolonged delays — including challenges over land allocation and multiple rounds of design reviews — pushed the cost up by ₹4 crore.
The proposed underpass will span 32.77 metres in length and 15.7 metres in width, making it wider than the existing Rose Garden underpass in Sector 17. In addition to improved pedestrian flow, the structure will house eight commercial booths, each measuring 2.5 by 2.5 metres.
“This stretch between PGI and PU sees thousands of pedestrians daily,” a senior engineering official said. “The new underpass has been designed keeping both volume and accessibility in mind.”
The project was first conceptualized in 2017 but stalled early on due to reluctance from both PU and PGI to part with the required land. While 80 square feet was initially requested, only 60 square feet was ultimately made available after prolonged negotiations. This led to repeated reshuffling of plans between the departments of engineering and urban planning.
Further delay came from the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee and its sub-panel, whose approvals were necessary given the city’s heritage architecture guidelines. The committee’s review process took nearly a year. Eventually, a consultant was appointed in September 2024, and the final blueprint was cleared in March 2025.
As part of design changes suggested during the planning phase, the number of shops was reduced from 20 to 8, the turning radius of ramps was widened, and lifts were recommended for better accessibility.
“We had to balance utility with heritage aesthetics,” a committee member noted. “Preserving the city’s architectural ethos was non-negotiable.”
The underpass will connect the PU bus stop directly to the PGI gate and is expected to ease pedestrian congestion significantly once completed. With the tendering process now imminent, officials anticipate groundwork to begin later this year.
