Chandigarh, April 17 -- After nearly seven years of delays, the Tribune Chowk flyover project in Chandigarh is likely to see the light of day. UT officials have submitted the proposal for the flyover, rotary, and underpass to the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) for final approval. The work is proposed to be initiated in the month of May after receipt of approval from the ministry. This was stated by the secretary engineering during a review meeting held under the chairmanship of H Rajesh Prasad, chief secretary, UT. The meeting was held with secretaries of all UT departments to assess the progress of key developmental projects and administrative matters. Nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles cross the chowk every day. The flyover, proposed to ease chronic traffic congestion at Tribune Chowk, has faced repeated procedural delays since it was first conceived - causing its cost to bump up from Rs.137 crore in 2019 to Rs.200 crore now, a 45% increase over seven years. The project was conceived in 2016 to decongest the chowk as most of the traffic coming to the city passes through it. After a detailed traffic examination, a proposal was approved in 2019 for the construction of the flyover at an estimated cost of Rs.183.74 crore and a tender was floated. However, the project remained stalled for nearly six years after the Punjab and Haryana high court stayed the cutting of nearly 700 fully grown trees on Dakshin and Purv Marg on a PIL filed by the RUN Club. The HC granted the stay on the execution of the project on November 20, 2019. The UT administration revived the project after the HC vacated the stay on April 30, 2024. The proposed 1.6-km flyover will start after the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 roundabout and land ahead of the railway overbridge on Dakshin Marg. Officials said that to address the long-pending demand of residents of Baltana and Makhan Majra for elimination of the level crossing, an amount of Rs.6.5 crore has been deposited with the Railways by the Chandigarh administration for early commencement of the work. In a significant step towards strengthening educational infrastructure, the tendering process for the construction of a hostel block at Punjab Engineering College has been initiated and the construction is expected to commence in May. Regarding the Punjab University/PGI underpass, it was informed that the tendering process is likely to be initiated shortly and the construction is expected to start in June. A joint site inspection involving officials from the municipal corporation, engineering department, and other stakeholders has also been carried out for proper planning of utility shifting and execution of the work. The chief secretary directed the engineering department to strictly adhere to the timelines for all projects. He also directed all secretaries to expedite the recruitment process for filling up vacant posts in their respective departments. Further, the chief secretary instructed the tourism department to take necessary steps for organising concerts at the earmarked site in Sarangpur at the earliest....