Punjab-Haryana to ease project load of Chandigarh

Haryana and Punjab governments along with Chandigarh administration arrived at a consensus on Sunday to work on several projects, including developing Metro Rail link for Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, and construction of an international airport. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda joined his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal and the Union Territory Administrator Shivraj Patil to take these steps to ease the load on Chandigarh, which also serves as the common capital for the two states.

Hooda said this while participating in a panel discussion on "Future of Chandigarh", organised by an English daily.

While detailing out his plans to take the pressure off Chandigarh, Hooda said the state government has already prepared a number of development plans including development of Panchkula township, Panchkula extension, Mansa Devi Complex and Kot-Behla Urban complex.

A large township has also been planned as Pinjore-Kalka Urban Complex for a population of five lakhs.

The entire periphery zone, extending upto 10 miles from the outer boundary of Chandigarh, has already been planned for a population of 14.23 lakhs by 2021, he said.

With a view to maintain the green character of the adjoining areas, Haryana has planned urbanisation of only 10,848 hectares while leaving 21,244 hectares outside the urbanisable zone of development plans, but having periphery controls, the chief minister said.

Later, Hooda, in reply to a question, pointed out that there is no institutional arrangement to involve Punjab and Haryana in development of Chandigarh, adding that he and Badal do not have any say in development of Chandigarh.

"We are never asked to give comments or suggestions for development of Chandigarh," he added. Hooda said that negotiations have been held with the authorities of the Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh to set up its extension in Panchkula on the pattern of an extension of AIIMS, New Delhi in Badhsa in Jhajjar district of Haryana . He said that Panchkula would have a National Institute of Fashion Technology. On the issue of Metro Rail project for Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, Hooda thanked Patil, who is also Governor of Punjab, for convening a meeting and offered help of the state government in this project.

Hooda also pointed out the lack of adequate connectivity between Chandigarh and Panchkula saying that while Mohali has eight links to Chandigarh, Panchkula has only one. Therefore, Haryana had requested the Administrator of Chandigarh to have more links between the two cities, he said. While describing Chandigarh as the first planned city after independence of the country, Hooda said that it was developed for a population of five lakhs, but now its population was more than 10 lakhs.

"Besides being a Union Territory, it is also the capital of Punjab and Haryana . Therefore, it is expanding," he said, adding that he was of the view that the sanctity and chemistry of Chandigarh should not be changed, but regretted that it is changing. Hooda said that he has lived and studied in Chandigarh and has also lived in New Delhi and has seen that New Delhi's Lutyen's character was not disturbed. The Haryana Chief Minister said that he would not like to touch any political issue at the forum, but reiterated that Punjab and Haryana should have independent High Courts of their own located in Chandigarh.

Speaking on the occasion, Badal asked Patil to expand PGIMER as it provides treatment facilities at an affordable cost and patients from different parts of the country come here. He also emphasised the need to develop the Metro rail and connect adjoining areas including Zirakpur, Kharar, Rajpura and extend it even to Ludhiana and Patiala.

He also assured help of his Government for this project. Badal also suggested that Hooda should lead both, him and Patil to the Central Government for the speedy implementation of the Metro rail project. Shivraj Patil described Chandigarh as the second best planned city in the country after New Delhi in providing facilities to its residents. He said that facilities at par with urban areas would have to be provided in rural areas to check migration.

Patil said that plan of Chandigarh is ready which would be notified to seek suggestions of the residents. A committee would then seek suggestions of the residents and the plan would be finalised before its implementation. Referring to the issue of growing volume of traffic in the city, he said that there was a plan to have underground parking facility.