A Case Study of Chandigarh PDF

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This assignment deals with the historical, geographical and social aspects of the Indian planned city of Chandigarh....

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A Case Study of Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a city and a union territory in India that serves as the capital of the two neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab. The city is unique as it is not a part of either of the two states but is governed directly by the Union Government, which administers all such territories in the country. It was one of the early planned cities in post-independent India and is internationally known for its architecture and urban design.

Jawahar Lal Nehru said- “Let this be new town, symbolic of freedom of India unfettered by the traditions of the past, an expression of the nation’s faith in the future.”

Early History:-

The city has a prehistoric past. Due to the presence of a lake, the area has fossil remains with imprints of a large variety of aquatic plants and animals, and amphibian life, which were supported by that environment. As it was a part of the Punjab region, it had many rivers nearby where the ancient and primitive settling of humans began. So, about 8000 years ago, the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans.

Modern History:After the partition of India in 1947, the former British province of Punjab was split between (mostly Sikhs) East Punjab in India and (mostly Muslim) West Punjab in Pakistan. The Indian Punjab required a new capital city to replace Lahore, which had become part of Pakistan during the partition. Therefore, an American planner and architect Albert Mayer was tasked to design a new city called "Chandigarh" in 1949. The government carved out Chandigarh of nearly 50 Puadhi speaking villages of the then state of East Punjab, India. Shimla was the temporary capital of East Punjab until Chandigarh was completed in 1960. Mayer discontinued his work on Chandigarh after developing a master plan for the city when his architect-partner Matthew Nowicki died in a plane crash in 1950. Government officials recruited Le Corbusier to succeed Mayer and Nowicki, who enlisted many elements of Mayer's original plan without attributing them to him.

Le Corbusier designed many administration buildings, including the High Court, the Palace of Assembly and the Secretariat Building. Le Corbusier also designed the general layout of the city, dividing it into sectors.

Location:-

Chandigarh is located near the foothills of the Shivalik range of the Himalayas in northwest India. It covers an area of approximately 114 km2. It borders the states of Haryana and Punjab. The exact cartographic co-ordinates of Chandigarh are 30.74°N 76.79°E. It has an average elevation of 321 metres (1053 ft.). The city, lying in the northern plains, includes a vast area of flat, fertile land. Its northeast covers sections of Bhabar and while the remainder of its terrain is part of the Terai. The surrounding cities are Mohali, Patiala, Zirakpur and Roopnagar in Punjab and Panchkula and Ambala in Haryana.

Advantages of Living in Chandigarh:Since I have lived in Chandigarh for two years, I can list the following qualities of this cityFirstly, IT IS SO CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL! Trust me there is a reason why it’s called the city beautiful. Each sector has plenty of small - big gardens in addition to the special ones like Rose Garden, Fragrance garden etc. Secondly, you can never get lost in this city. Took a wrong turn? No problem! Since all roads are parallel and perpendicular, you can easily find your way. Also, since the city was built keeping almost all sectors in an identical fashion, if you can recognize which roads lead to the market in the sector, then you can find your way in any sector! Also, I would like to add that each sector is an independent unit, having a government school and a market complex. Mostly the market complexes are located in the C part of the sector. Thirdly, Commuting is extremely easy in Chandigarh. It takes just 30 minutes from the centre of the city to any edge! Also the fact that it has far less pollution and amazing schools makes it an ideal city to live in while raising a family. Coming to the crowd, people are not only super attractive! If you find yourself in need, you can easily find help from random strangers.

Problems Faced by the Residents:1. Water: Water problem is severe in summer, people do not have water supply sometimes for whole day and sometimes the water quality is poor. Not only Chandigarh but Mohali also faces even severe problem. Moreover, the authority is careless and repairs the water plant every year in summers, when demand is high. 2. Like water the city has electricity problems, similar to neighbouring Delhi. In summers, it is very common to have 23 hours power cut every day. 3. Traffic problem: Once Chandigarh was jam free but now roads are getting congested. At almost all the main traffic intersections, we have roundabouts. Earlier we had less traffic, and the population of 5 lakh, for which Chandigarh was planned. But as in other cities in India, Chandigarh also saw uncontrolled migration to make population of 15 lakh today. Roundabouts with less traffic decreases congestion but with more, traffic jams increases. Now, as Delhi is becoming jam free with flyovers and underpasses at all traffic intersections, Chandigarh is becoming packed with jams. At every chowk, during rush hours, residents get stuck. Roads get clogged in rains, due to poor sewage. 4. Public transport: Metro is proposed in 2019 but currently we do not have good public transport. So, residents are forced to use cars to commute and this increases traffic. Actually, we have the WORST public transport among all big cities of India, I believe. That is the fact why Chandigarh has

highest registered vehicles per capita in India. But this does nothing but increases traffic congestion. 5. Cleanliness: This may look surprising as Chandigarh is regarded as one of the clean cities of the country. But it does not have a proper waste management system. Chandigarh has been ranked worst in India after Delhi in terms of waste management in India.

Conclusion:Chandigarh is a more peaceful place to live when compared to the other Indian cities. It has accomplished much ever since its inception in 1952. The city has one of the highest per capita income in the country. The city was reported to be one of the cleanest in India based on a national government study. The union territory also heads the list of Indian states and territories according to Human Development Index. In 2015, a survey by LG Electronics, ranked it as the happiest city in India over the happiness index. The metropolitan area of Chandigarh–Mohali–Panchkula collectively forms a Tri-city, with a combined population of over 1,611,770. The city also faces some grave issues like increasing traffic, rising population, water shortage etc. Although, there are numerous challenges but the administration and the citizens aspire to make it a better place to live. The people are educated and aware which provides a great help in the works of the Chandigarh administration. A lot of capital is utilised in making good quality roads, maintenance of hospitals and

schools, providing aids to the needy slum dwellers and what not. However, the city needs an efficient waste management system. Also, there is a problem of increasing crime in the periphery areas of Khuda Lahora, Dera Bassi and Dhanas. There is a need to enhance the police patrolling.

THANK YOU

References× www.quora.com × www.wikipedia.org × www.mapsofindia.in × www.slideshare.net × www.brania.com...