The city will soon have “Sector 13”, a sector which never existed since its formation. For, Manimajra has been renamed as “Sector 13” in Chandigarh.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore on Friday approved the proposal of the renaming of eight areas. These are not covered under the sectoral grid here. In this regard, a notification would be issued soon.
Renaming Trend
Badnore, while holding a meeting of senior UT officers approved the proposal of renaming Manimajra, Industrial Areas, Maloya among other places here.
| Old | New |
| Manimajra | Sector 13 |
| Industrial Area Phase I | Business & Industrial Park I |
| Industrial Area Phase II | Business & Industrial Park II |
| Industrial Area Phase III | Business & Industrial Park III |
| Sarangpur Institutional area | Sector 12 (west) |
| Dhanas including Milk Colony, Rehabilitation Colony | Sector 14 (west) |
| Maloya and Dadu Majra | Sector 39 (west) |
| Pocket number 8 below Vikas Marg | Sector 56 (west) |
Chandigarh Master Plan 2031
The reference area for planning constitutes 144 sq. km. This includes the 60 sectors in the sectoral grid and the periphery areas outside it.
Original Plan
Over 50 years ago, French architect Le Corbusier designed the layout of Chandigarh. He divided the city into 60 sectors.
- Phase I
The plan was divided into a grid of 30 low-density sectors with Capitol Complex and Civic Centre as its focal points.
Area: 9,000 acres
Population: 1.5 lakh people
- Phase II:
The layout included Sector 31 to 47. Further, nine Sectors- 48 to 56- were added.
Area: 6,000 acres
Population: 3.5 lakh people
Around 60 suggestions came in after the administration had issued a public notice to residents regarding renaming these areas. Residents were allowed to submit their ideas/objections till December 16 to the UT chief architect office, Sector 9.
As per Surinder Bahga, Chandigarh- based architect, the renaming of colonies and villages was longed-for. But, naming Manimajra as Sector 13 is odd. It did not match with the original sequencing and numbering of sectors.
He added that renaming Sector 13 would deny Manimajra of its bygone character.
Other Developments
At the meeting, the UT administrator also approved of the following:
- ₹2.5 crores for India International Centre
Badnore approved the budget for the development of the Sardar Beant Singh India International Centre (IIC). The sanctioned area is of a 9-acre plot at the Beant Singh Memorial, Sector 42. It will be modelled on the appearances of the Delhi IIC. This is an assembly place for the city’s numerous social and scholarly offerings.
- Shooting range
It was decided to develop a topnotch shooting range at the Police Range at Sector 25. A similar one at Sarangpur was put on hold. The TBRL technical feasibility statement advised against it in December 2019.
- Bicycle Wednesdays
Beginning January 9, each Wednesday, all senior UT executives and UT administrator will cycle to the UT Secretariat, Sector 9. The objective is to encourage cycling in the city. In March 2018, the MC had undergone a similar initiative. However, a halfhearted reaction was seen.
News Source: Hindustan Times
Image Source: Google Images