Sangrur, Feb. 1 -- Two days after the Union ministry of railways formally approved the construction of a railway overbridge (ROB) at Dhuri, the Punjab government has initiated the tender process for the long-awaited project that has been mired in state-Centre sparring for over a year. Stating that bids had been invited by February 17, chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation, Dalvir Singh Dhillon said the ROB will significantly ease traffic congestion on the Dhuri Bypass and at railway crossings. He said the overbridge will commence near Mahavir Mandir at Bagriyan Chowk and connect to the Dhuri Bypass. The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) has reserved Rs.54.76 crore for the construction of the bridge. PWD sub-divisional officer Navdeep shared the project will be completed in two years once construction begins. The Dhuri ROB has been a political flashpoint for over a year. In June last year, CM Mann, claimed the state government would entirely fund the Rs.54.76-crore project. However, Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu countered these claims, accusing the CM of "pure optics" and asserting that the state had failed to deposit any funds with the railways. The central approval earlier this week effectively shifts the project's ownership toward the Centre....