City: Chandigarh

Raj Rani, a 45-year-old household help residing in Kaimbwala, is a worried woman these days. Six months after COVID 19 hit the nation, her family income has halved and no new employment has come her way. “Earlier I used to earn Rs 10,000 to 12,000 per month, now it is down to Rs 6000 to Rs 7000,” says Raj Rani, whose case is typical of all labourers living at the margins of society. Her two sons, one employed as a driver and the second working with a local contractor, have also lost their jobs. As has her husband Ram Rattan,…

This article is part of our special series Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change in Tier II cities supported by Climate Trends. Chandigarh: The Beautiful City, located in the foothills of Shivalik range, was originally a cluster of 58 villages. When the site was chosen to build a modern capital for the then state of Punjab in 1948, it resulted in relocation of 21,000 people, mainly farmers cultivating crops such as wheat, corn, and maize. The city lies in the Indo-Gangetic plains, between two seasonal hill torrents – the Sukhna and Patiali rivers. Presumably, back then it was a much cooler…

In Chandigarh, the buck stops with Municipal Commissioner K K Yadav, when it comes to implementation of any and all decisions on how to handle the Corona pandemic in the union territory. From steering the Municipal Corporation (MC) during one of its most critical periods, to ensuring that essential needs reach all sections of society, especially the poor and marginalised, the 50-year-old Punjab cadre IAS officer has plenty on his plate. Having taken over as Municipal Commissioner in May 2018, Yadav has had his share of bouquets and brickbats over the handling of the city’s municipal needs. He began his…

Vivek Trivedi, 43, Social Development Officer at the Municipal Corporation** Chandigarh, is the man behind the resettlement of over 10,000 street vendors and hawkers operating in Chandigarh since the 90s. By regularising these vendors and giving them licences and specified work spaces, he has been responsible for generating revenues of Rs 24 crore for the cash strapped Chandigarh MC. An urban and social development expert, Vivek had earlier worked as Project Director with the United Nations Development Program and various social sector organisations of the union government. He is a fellow of the Al Gore Climate Leaders Program and has…

Ghulam Mohammed Meer, a 61-year old Kashmiri Muslim, is a worried man. His brow furrowed with worry lines, he sits brooding over a cup of tea in a corner of his rented accommodation, which he shares with 11 other fellow Kashmiris, in Mori Gate Mohalla of Chandigarh. “I am stuck here for the past 22 days,” said Meer, his voice choked with emotion. “I badly need to go home bad. My 105-year-old father is on his death bed. He just wants to meet me one last time before saying his final good bye”. Meer, a resident of Karalpura village of…

The number of Coronavirus cases in Punjab shot up to 14 on March 21st. More than half of these individuals were infected after coming in contact with a single international traveler, 70-year-old Baldev Singh, who refused to remain in self-isolation upon his return to the state. Singh died from heart failure on March 18th and was found to be Coronavirus positive only after his death. Baldev was a priest in a Gurudwara at Pathlawa village in Nawanshahr (renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar) district and had gone to Germany and Italy in February. He returned to Delhi on March 6th. Along…

Chaman Lal, a street vendor in an inner market in one of the city’s northern sectors, is a worried man these days. Originally from Partapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, the 62-year-old banana seller has been residing in the city for 10 years now, selling seasonal fruits for the past four years.  Sitting next to him on a raised platform, almost hidden from the public eye by a electricity junction box, is his friend 72-year old Ghanshyam Bahadur, who helps him with his street business. Chaman Lal's worry stems from the fact that he does not have a vendor certificate and could…

For a planned city like Chandigarh, street vendors are a floating population difficult to include in the city’s planning mechanism. Street vendors tend to create an independent eco-system dominated by power centres within the government framework and outside from touts and racketeers, having to cope with the constant threat of confiscation of their goods. In the absence of a policy, usage of public space by street vendors remains a bone of contention between the different stakeholders in an urban setting. Objections are raised by motorists, resident welfare associations, market welfare committees and others who perceive them as a threat in…

Cycling was originally proposed as one of the preferred means of mass transport in Chandigarh city by its designer Le Corbusier himself. Corbusier envisaged laying out cycle tracks (classified as V7 and V8 roads) as part of the Master Plan for the city during its construction in the 1950s. As per the plan, every V3 road (fast vehicular roads dividing the sectors) across the city was to have a V7 road (cycle track), or a V8 road (cycle track plus footpath). “The Master Plan envisaged laying out cycle tracks of over 200 kms,” said Navdeep Asija, Traffic Advisor to the…

Tucked away in a corner of the Phase VI Industrial Area, in a building that has clearly seen better days, is the District Industrial Centre (DIC), the nodal office for industry in Ajitgarh city, better known as Mohali. “We have great infrastructure, regular power supply at competitive rates, ample skilled manpower, an international airport, great work environment, and a government sensitive to the needs of the industry,” said DIC general manager Harjinder Singh Pannu, a jovial, friendly individual who goes out of his way to emphasize that Mohali is the best destination for industry in the North. The problem is,…