Chandigarh, Dec. 15 -- Hanging in balance for more than five years, the long-delayed underpass between PGIMER and Panjab University has finally moved forward, with the UT department of town planning approving the final design changes last week. Now, work is expected to begin in January next year, with an estimated completion in nine months. UT chief engineer CB Ojha said, "The town planning department approved the final changes last week and we will float the tenders soon. The revised height of the project and placement of the shops have been approved." 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 facilitate smoother pedestrian and vehicular movement, thereby bringing down accidents. However, even after more than five years, the project remains stuck in bureaucratic red tape. 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 PGIMER and PU to allow buses enough space to pick and drop passengers. But after both institutions refused to spare a 60 square yard 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. After modifications in the plan, the sub-committee of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) approved the amended design of the underpass in July 2023. However, for over two years, the revised project drawings awaited the approval of the UT department of urban planning....