Chandigarh is a beautiful and clean city located at the foothills of Shivalik. It was the dream city of India during the time of our first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The city was well-planned and executed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Chandigarh got its name interestingly due to the temple of the goddess Chandi, which means ‘stronghold of goddess Chandi. It has highly fertile lands and is highly productive agriculturally. The cost of living in this city is relatively high when compared to other major cities in India.
Chandigarh before independence:
It has a pre-historic past. It had a wide lake by a marsh around 8000 years ago. The area was also known to be home to happen. In the mid-era, the area was part of the prosperous Punjab. During the partition of the country in the year 1947 right after independence, it was divided into east and west Punjab. The eastern part of Punjab is a part of now Pakistan and the western part belongs to India. The eastern part of Punjab was resettled by various refugees who were uprooted from their homes in western Punjab. In the year 1948, the government of Punjab and the government of India collectively decided to approve the area that falls on the foothills of Shivalik as the capital of the union territory.
Chandigarh after independence:
After independence, Le Corbusier made the master plan to resettle the area of Chandigarh in its form today. The city is well-developed and beautifully designed. It is divided into 56 sectors and currently adding more sectors to it. Previously missing sector 13 is also being added to the plan. Various places are being renamed. It is known for its education quality it provides and modern infrastructure.
What is the new Chandigarh?
New Chandigarh is known to be the newly planned and smart city near Mullanpur located in the Mohali district. The idea is to design it as an extension of the now known Chandigarh. For this, a digital survey was conducted using various technologies and a plan was proposed on 26th April 2018 and was completed on 24th June 2018. The initial city will be divided into sectors from sector number 1 to sector number 21. The project of new Chandigarh introduced the concept of private housing apart from the residential areas under GMADA.
Who planned the new Chandigarh?
The development plan of the new Chandigarh is by the Greater Mohali area development authority or GMADA. According to the plan it is supposed to be a smart city just like Chandigarh but better. Everything will be taken into consideration including education, ecosystem plan, tourism opportunities, sports centers, good connectivity, and ease of access among other things. This Mullanpur city will comprise 32 villages which will all be redeveloped under the plan of GMADA.
Conclusion: the new city of Chandigarh is a plan of extending the existing boundaries of Chandigarh into neighboring cities and developing them, this has been initiated by the GMADA, and promises a bright future.
