Chandigarh
The City
Independent India’s first planned city, Chandigarh is unique in several ways. Nestled at the foot of the Shivaliks, and 248 kms away from New Delhi, Chandigarh is a Union Territory and capital to the state administrations of Punjab and Haryana.
By 2020, a ring of industrial townships extending up to 30 kilometers from the Capital Project Area will circle Chandigarh. National Highway 1 linking Chandigarh and Ambala, as also the road to Ropar, is lined with industrial units. The road to Shimla has industries and hotels, large and small, catering to the tourist traffic.
Armed with a strong civic and transport network, an affluent and informed citizenry, excellent educational facilities, the city lives by the spirit of its emblem of an open hand which carries its slogan "Open to receive – Open to give".
These factors have supported the real estate boom that the city has experienced in the last couple of years. Carrying no legacies of the past, Chandigarh is an architect’s delight, with its buildings designed on modern architectural lines.
The educational facilities in Chandigarh till a decade ago far surpassed the employment opportunities available. From being a city known more for its senior and retired citizens, it is now pulsating with young professionals engaged in the knowledge sector in the Chandigarh-Mohali -Panchkula hub.
Chandigarh has a refreshing lifestyle, combining hard work and
professionalism with several options for leisure and relaxation.
Home to Nek Chand’s Rock Garden and the Sukhna Lake, the city
has easy access to weekend getaways in North India.
Infrastructure and Facilities
An excellent road and rail network supports Chandigarh, and the
city lies within motor able distance of most popular towns and
pilgrimages in North India. Deluxe and luxury buses and cabs ply
inter-state from the large terminus in Sector 17.
The city enjoys the advantages of being close to the National
Capital Region, with Delhi 4-6 hours away by rail and road. The
Airports Authority of India has undertaken the up-gradation project
of the Chandigarh airport to meet the increased traffic to the
city.
The Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park RGCTP was conceived
in 2001 by the Chandigarh Administration. Built on 123 acres,
the first phase had Infosys Technologies anchoring the project
on 30 acres with a state-of the art campus.
Phase II will have Wipro playing the anchor’s role with facilities
on a 30 acre campus too. An Entrepreneurs Development Centre within
the campus is for start-up ventures.
The Chandigarh Administration has taken to e-governance through
its e-Sampark initiative, which is a multi-service single window
system connecting various departments dealing with the public
through electronic (or Sampark) centres. The Sampark Project aims
to make Chandigarh a "wired city" with the establishment
of a Wide Area Network for all government and corporate offices
The Administration lays great emphasis on training of manpower
for the IT industry, and has implemented the C-TOSS (Chandigarh
Training on Soft Skills) programme to improve the skills at the
grass root level in schools and colleges. The IT Reach Out programme
is a noble effort to enable students from the weaker sections
to benefit from the applications of the knowledge industry.
The Gram Sampark project will provide IT access to rural citizens
through 70 Kiosks linked with the Central Data Hub and information
relating to various departments of the administration.
Photo: New Chandigarh Skyline by ArmouredCyborg, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
