Chandigarh, May 3 -- The much-awaited emergency-cum-trauma centre at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, has missed yet another deadline, adding to the long list of delays plaguing the project since its inception in 2019. The 283-bed facility was supposed to be ready by March 31 and operational by April as per a stern directive by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in December 2024. But it's not expected to be unveiled before May-end. Construction of the state-of-the-art facility had begun in August 2020, with completion estimated by February 2022 (18 months). But ever since, the deadline has been extended multiple times-first due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and then owing to environmental clearance delays and sluggish construction progress. "While construction is complete, public health work like solar panel and air-conditioning installation is ongoing. The building has not yet been handed over to the hospital by the UT engineering department. We are now targeting May 31 for completion," said Dr Ashok Kumar Atri, director-principal of GMCH-32. On December 16, 2024, the UT administrator had paid a surprise visit to GMCH, and inspected the progress of the trauma centre. He had then ordered that the work be completed by March 31 and building be operationalised by April. But even a month later, the engineering department has yet to wrap up the work. The delay continues despite the hospital's existing emergency wing, with just 45 beds, buckling under the pressure of nearly 400 emergency cases daily. In the absence of adequate beds, patients continue to be treated on trolleys. The new trauma centre was also envisioned to take the load off PGIMER, which is currently the only trauma care facility in the city providing critical care to victims of road accidents, natural or man-made disasters and other emergencies. Once complete, the centre is expected to significantlyease this pressure, with 40 ventilator beds, operation theatres, ICU, isolation and ambulatory care wards, CT scan and MRI services....