Chandigarh, July 9 -- Once touted as India's best city, the quality of life in Chandigarh has been steadily declining. Projects that could have improved life for residents have remained stalled for decades. While the blame is often placed on the ad-hoc functioning of the UT bureaucracy, HT explores why these projects are stuck - and where the buck really stops. Conceived in 2009, the Metro project has run into several hurdles, including stiff opposition from former BJP MP Kirron Kher. Residents, meanwhile, are left wondering if the project will ever see the light of the day. The project had got a fresh lease of life in June last year when the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) greenlighted it, terming it economically viable for the tricity. However, the future of the long-delayed metro project hinges significantly on its projected cost, with estimates suggesting a substantial outlay of Rs.25,000 crore to Rs.30,000 crore. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by 2032, with construction set to start in 2027 if all clearances are in place. Notably, 16.5 km - of the total 85.65 km route -would pass underground through Chandigarh's heritage sectors. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal blamed the long delay on lack of follow-up since 2014. "To deal with the traffic chaos from the city's large vehicle population and daily inflow of outside vehicles, an efficient rapid mass transport system is essential. Had the follow-up work on the metro project been done after 2014, it might have seen the light of day by now," he said. The construction of a flyover, rotary and an underpass at the Tribune Chowk was approved in 2016, sanctioned and awarded by the Centre in 2019 at the cost of Rs.184 crore. A Letter of Award (LoA) was also issued but the project was stalled, within weeks, after the Punjab and Haryana high court granted stay. However, in 2024, the court vacated the stay. The UT engineering department then submitted a revised cost estimate, amounting to Rs.245 crore, for revised approval and sanction from the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH). Now, according to the latest update in June, the MoRTH decided to re-invite bids for construction of a six-lane 1.6 km flyover, rotary and an underpass at the Tribune Chowk on National Highway 5, which is one of the busiest junctions in Chandigarh. The flyover is being touted as a solution to the traffic mess on this stretch. Over 1.43 lakh vehicles cross Tribune Chowk on a daily basis. Navdeep Asija, a road safety expert, said, "From day one, expensive proposals have been pushed forward without any supporting studies. It reflects the short-sightedness of UT officers. This lack of planning from the very beginning has now resulted in massive traffic problems for the city." Proposed in 2006, the Education City project, which was to turn Chandigarh into a hub for world-class educational institutions of excellence, seems to have vanished into thin air. The 150-acre project got only one institute in the first decade of its existence. In October 2021, then UT adviser Dharam Pal directed officials concerned to examine the reasons for the failure of the ambitious Edu City plans. With Dharam Pal's exit in November 2023, the project remains long forgotten. In 2009, three institutes signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to get licence for setting up campuses here, but a long list of those shortlisted had backed out. It was primarily due to the tough conditions laid down. In the initial years of the project, the Indian Institute of Ropar (IIT-Ropar) got in-principle nod to set up a campus but a conclusive response never came. Similarly, the administration was in talks with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Amritsar) to set up a campus, but that too didn't materialise. Vivek Atray, former director of IT and tourism, said, "The youngsters of Chandigarh and the whole region would benefit immensely if premier educational institutions come up here in the coming years. World-class educational facilities need to be made available in Chandigarh so that youth do not have to leave the city for jobs." The third phase of the Industrial area project was first conceptualised in the 1970s, nearly four decades ago. The project, spread over 150 acres near Raipur Kalan, saw only three allotments. Even as Chandigarh's industrial landscape is in dire need of expansion, the UT administration continues to dilly-dally on the project's development. The reasons are mostly the lack of zoning and basic infrastructure in the area. The Phase 3 of the Industrial Area has plots of varying sizes, ranging from marla plots to 4 kanal plots. Land for this project was acquired in 2003 and the detailed planning for Phase 3 was also undertaken in 2003. The push for this project has largely been the result of the administration focusing on implementation of different aspects of the Chandigarh Master Plan (CMP-2031). Despite identifying 20 sites for auction, the estate office never followed through. Bureaucratic inertia and shifting priorities have left the area undeveloped. Naveen Manglani, vice-president of Chamber of Chandigarh Industries said, "Phase 3 Industrial Area in Chandigarh will remain a pipe dream unless the administration scraps its outdated leasehold policy. The current model-burdened by exorbitant unearned increase charges and high annual lease payments-has stifled industrial growth. Converting leasehold plots to freehold would be a game-changer for Chandigarh's MSME sector. Unlike Mohali and Panchkula, where industry thrives, Chandigarh suffers from bureaucratic inertia and lack of visionary leadership," he said. In 2007, a plan to set up a FilmCity on 32 acres in Sarangpur was proposed. But the plan never materialised. Eighteen years later, in March 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Chandigarh administration to pay approximately Rs.118 crore to Parsvnath Film City Ltd for the failed multimedia-cum-film city project. After securing the Rs.191 crore bid, Parsvnath had paid Rs.47.75 crore upfront. Delays by the UT administration in providing a demarcation plan-issued only after 16.5 months on July 17, 2008-and failure to deliver encumbrance-free land, including removal of two high-tension lines, stalled the project. Parsvnath declared the contract unfulfilled in December 2008, leading to its termination by the Chandigarh administration in December 2009, which also forfeited the Rs.47.75 crore deposit. The Supreme Court, however, found the Chandigarh administration at fault, noting that the 36-month project timeline was derailed by its delays, not Parsvnath's actions. Darshan Aulakh, actor and director, was the one who proposed setting up a film city in Chandigarh with the support of the late Yash Chopra. "Unfortunately, due to the apathetic attitude of the bureaucracy, the project never took off. Had it been established, youth from Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh could have benefited in a big way," he said....