Chandigarh: Things to look forward to in 2024

Unified control room for all services

Soon, multiple services, such as water supply, public bike-sharing, streetlights, parking, solid waste management, street sweeping and sewage treatment plant, will come under one roof with the Chandigarh Smart City Limited setting up a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) centre. This will facilitate control of vital services, effective interdepartmental coordination, improved maintenance operations, cost cutting, improved incident response and resource utilisation, thus making residents’ lives much easier. As per officials, all systems in the centre will be integrated with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC). A few services such as street sweeping and door-to-door garbage collection services, have already been shifted to SCADA building. Other systems like public bike sharing, STP etc, are expected to migrated soon.

Expected time of completion: January

24x7 water supply in Manimajra

With 85% of the work to provide 24X7 water supply to Manimajra already complete, residents can expect round-the-clock water supply soon. As part of the project, regular water meters are being replaced with ultrasonic smart water meters, which will help bring down wastage, leakage etc. Sensors in the supply system will measure water consumption, water levels and water flow rates on a real-time basis and provide consumers with data to help monitor their usage and reduce costs. It will also make way for remote monitoring and billing.

While the pilot project will cover Manimajra, including the Modern Housing Complex, Shivalik Enclave, Indira Colony, Shastri Nagar and old Manimajra, the entire city will be covered by 2028.

Expected time of completion: January 31 (Pilot project)

No more legacy waste

City Beautiful can finally bid adieu to its decades old embarrassment – the two legacy waste mountains, of 5 LMT and 8 LMT, that had come up in Dadumajra as a result of inadequate waste processing facilities. This resulted in a major nuisance for residents of nearby areas due to foul smell, leachate and frequent fires. Out of the total 13 lakh MT legacy waste, 80% has already been cleared and the rest will also be removed soon, as per the Chandigarh municipal corporation. To effectively tackling the city’s daily waste generation of 550 metric tonnes (MT), a new integrated plant, with three facilities – one each for dry, wet and horticulture waste, will come up in around 24 months. For now, all eyes on legacy waste removal.

Estimated time of completion: February

Chandigarh railway station to go futuristic

Get set to witness an all-new revamped look of the Chandigarh railway station, which will have state-of-the-art waiting lobbies, food court, paid lounge, enquiry counter, and office and retail spaces. The redevelopment, which is based on modular concept, is costing the railways ₹511 crore. Once ready, there will be separate areas for arrivals and departures, 72m x 80m air concourse with food and retail outlets, two foot overbridges (FOBs), 30 lifts, 10 escalators and a solar power plant.

Expected completion: April

Tricity metro project

After 14 years of its inception, work on the Tricity metro project is finally set to kick-off. The first phase will run into a total of 91km and includes three routes — Sultanpur, New Chandigarh, to Sector 28, Panchkula (34 km); Sukhna Lake to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali ISBT and Chandigarh airport (41.20 km); and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13.30 km), apart from 2.5 km long depot entry. As per the RITES report, most of the tracks and stations in the first two corridors will be elevated, while some parts will be underground. However, the third corridor, between Sector 26 and Sector 39, along Madhya Marg, will be fully elevated. These are expected to be completed by 2034.

Project to start from: April

Sector-17 rejuvenation plan

While the revamp of Sector 17’s south plaza has been finally competed after several missed deadlines, the work on in the north plaza, near the General Post Office, is yet to kick off.

As part of the project, the North Plaza will undergo vibrant landscaping and extensive plantation, and new pavements will be created. The work of constructing an amphitheater and installation of lights is already complete.

Work to start from: April

Panchkula’s multi-feature park

If the idea of a leisurely stroll in the park followed by a refreshments at an open-air cafe and some mind-soothing music and meditation excites you, then this multi-feature park, coming up in Panchkula’s Sector 24 is set to be your go-to. Being developed by the Haryana Shehari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on 18 acres, at a cost of ₹35 crore, it is set to have a host of recreational facilities: cycle track of international standards, open-air theater, open-air cafe, maze, meditation garden based on Japanese art, modern topiary park, skating rink, fountain, solar tree based charging station, hut-like vertical garden. This one-stop destination for leisure, exercise and entertainment is set to bolster Panchkula’s projection as the ‘City of Parks’ and Haryana assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta is personally overseeing the project to ensure its timely completion.

Expected completion: June 30

Smart parking in UT

Soon, you will be able to enjoy hassle-free fully automated vehicle parking at 89 parking lots run by the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) with plans afoot to set up a FASTag-enabled system. Once the system is in place, boom barriers will automatically open as soon as a vehicle approaches the entry point and at the time of exit, fee, based on parking duration, will be deducted through FASTag. Not just this, the parking lots will be under surveillance of high-resolution closed-circuit television cameras and monitored from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Sector 17. The system is expected to make parking systematic, seamless and bringing down the incidence of vehicle thefts from parking lots.

Expected time of completion: August

Mullanpur stadium to make its international debut

Come next Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season and the Punjab franchise, Punjab Kings (PBKS) in all probability will be hosting their home matches at the newly constructed Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur under the floodlights. Even though the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has missed the set deadline of completing the stadium by November 2023 and hosting the T20I match between India and Afghanistan in Mullanpur in January 2024, now the state unit is not leaving any stone unturned eyeing April 2024 to have a complete stadium. With this, it would mean that the new stadium could be hosting PBKS IPL games next season in Mullanpur. The new stadium is some 15 km away from the IS Bindra stadium and has a capacity of 33,000 spectators. Built with modern facilities, it has one of the best drainage systems known as herringbone drainage system, which will allow matches to restart within 30 minutes even in case of heavy rains. Seven pitches, indoor practice facilities and other facilities have been added with a budget pegged at over ₹300 crore. Because Mullanpur could not meet the November 2023 deadline now the T20I between India and Afghanistan will be organised in Mohali on January 11.

Expected completion: April 2024

50-bed AYUSH hospital in Chandigarh

The much-awaited 50-bed AYUSH hospital in Chandigarh’s Sector 34 is set to be inaugurated by 2024, according to Rajesh Kotecha, the Ministry of Ayurveda’s secretary. Initially funded by the AYUSH department in 2019, the hospital’s construction received ₹1.5 crore and an additional ₹72 lakh. The first phase of the project was supposed to come up with 25 beds and only ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy and homeopathy services would be offered at the hospital. The remaining 25 beds were to be added during the second phase, and Unani and siddha techniques were to be introduced, but the project has been hanging in the balance since 2019. The Sector-34 integrated hospital will be the first of its kind in Chandigarh. However, AYUSH health and wellness centres (HWCs) are providing out-patient services across the UT. The project has missed several deadlines and is hanging fire for five years. The project was undertaken to promote ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, and homeopathy in UT. The AYUSH hospital is expected to benefit the city by providing alternative and traditional healthcare services based on ayurveda, yoga, Unani, siddha, and homeopathy systems.

Set to be inaugurated: 2024

E-Challaning in Mohali

Come 2024 and commuters violating traffic rules in Mohali will be served e-challans on their phones as the Punjab Police is all set to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and red-light violation detection (RLVD) cameras across the district. Though even as Mohali roads continue to be death traps for commuters – with at least 21 lives, on an average, lost in accidents in every month, the much-awaited closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera project, which was to facilitate automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and red-light violation detection (RLVD), had hit another roadblock last month– the fifth in over three years. The reason: The bidders for the project had quoted a higher price than what was floated in the tender. With the latest bids rejected, a senior administrative officer said that the fresh tenders would be floated soon and the process of allotting the contract for installing CCTV here is expected to be completed by the end of January. The installation will take another six months according to the officials.

Expected completion: 2024

Greenfield road to decongest Mohali’s airport road

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is to complete the much-awaited Greenfield Project, aimed at decongesting the Airport Road in Mohali, by April 2024. The 32-km road, from IT Chowk (PR-7) near Chandigarh International Airport to Kurali-Chandigarh road, is being built in an area that has never been developed. This stretch, which leads from IT Chowk (PR-7) near Chandigarh International Airport to the Kurali-Chandigarh Road, will serve as an alternative route for those heading from Delhi towards Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and also decongest Airport road. Greenfield alignment road is expected to ease traffic in Chandigarh and Mohali. The NHAI had advanced the deadline for completion of the much-awaited Greenfield Project, aimed at decongesting the Airport Road in Mohali, to April 2024. The cost of the project is nearly ₹1,400 crore, out of which ₹700 crore has been given for land compensation and the remaining ₹700 is for the construction of the highway. According to Mohali DC Aashika Jain, 80% compensation for the acquisition of land for the project has been disbursed.

Expected completion: April 2024

Airport Road from Kharar to New Chandigarh

The Airport Road (PR7) from Kharar to New Chandigarh is to come up at a cost of ₹ ₹150-crore. Starting from the dividing road of Sector 120/125, Sunny Enclave, Kharar, the stretch will meet the PR4 road in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur), cutting the distance between the two towns by around 5 km and also easing the traffic pressure on Chandigarh. To construct the 8 km stretch, GMADA had planned to acquire around 120 acres in Jandpur, Hasanpur, Thaska, Palheri, Bahalpur, Ranai Majra and Saini Majra villages. After missing several deadlines to extend the Airport Road from Kharar to New Chandigarh since May 2021, GMADA is yet to acquire complete land mainly in two villages, Palheri and Jandpur, stalling work on around 1 km of the total stretch due to due to legal wrangling over land compensation. GMADA is yet to ascertain the next deadline for the project as according to officials, GMADA is yet to acquire 40-50 ft forest land near the bridge near the approach road. According to a senior GMADA officer, the project can be delayed beyond 2024 due to legal wrangling.

Expected completion: Delayed beyond 2024

New Chandigarh-Kurali road

The ongoing work to upgrade the 8-km PR 4 road, connecting Kurali-Siswan road with UT boundary in Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) will conclude by March 31. The project to upgrade the 200-feet road also includes construction of three bridges and laying of public health services. The project missed its December deadline primarily due to the heavy rains this monsoon, said Rajeev Kumar Gupta, chief administrator (CA), Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). The complete project to upgrade PR 4 road will conclude by March 31. Gupta added that GMADA would complete the connectivity till Mullanpur stadium by end of December and moreover all three bridges, part of the project, will also be constructed before end of the year. According to the officials, this road will help with better connectivity between Chandigarh and Punjab. The six-lane road, to be connected to Dakshin Marg via a 1.2km stretch towards Chandigarh, will connect to the Siswan-Kurali road on the Punjab side. This will provide better connectivity to Chandigarh and the Punjab Cricket Stadium (PCA) in New Chandigarh, which is expected to host domestic and international matches soon.

Expected completion: March 31, 2024

Inputs from: Shailee Dogra, Hillary Victor, Mandeep Kaur, Shalini Gupta, Robert Abraham, Nikhil Sharma