Making & unmaking of City Beautiful

Rakesh Kochhar

Chandigarh was conceived as the capital of Indian Punjab, then called East Punjab, after India’s Independence. The first Prime Minister of India, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, was instrumental in getting the city off the blocks. Contrary to popular belief that Le Corbusier is the originator of the concept of Chandigarh, it was the team of Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and American planner Albert Mayer, which was tasked with planning the city. It was the tragic death of Nowicki in an air crash that led to the withdrawal of Mayer from the scene and the entry of Le Corbusier. The latter transformed the plans of his predecessors and rightfully got all the credit. Chandigarh was carved out of 50 villages of Pahadi-speaking people in 1949, and the first phase was completed in 1960s.

Corbusier gave the unique design to the city—that of the grid system and ample green belts. He and his team designed the key buildings, including the High Court and the Secretariat. The Open Hand monument was meant to represent ‘peace and reconciliation’ and it figures in recurrent themes that represent the city.

The development of Chandigarh was facilitated by people like MS Randhawa, the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, who is credited with getting colourful trees from across the globe. Randhawa was also the chairman of the committee that planned the city in 1955 and was instrumental in its landscaping. In fact, all chief commissioners till 1985, when the Punjab Governor became Chandigarh’s Administrator, built upon the foundation provided by Randhawa. The uniqueness of the city lies in the fact that there are no statues or roads named after individuals.

It is only recently that the city started losing its sheen. Having advisers, administrators, mayors and municipal commissioners with no idea of the structure of the city, is responsible for this. All those joining the Chandigarh Administration should go through a crash course into the history of Chandigarh.

Unfortunately, the city’s character is being destroyed by traffic chaos, unplanned construction around the city, especially in the Sukhna catchment area, and unregulated vendors. It is appalling that the construction around the lake still goes unchecked. If you look down from Kasauli, you will be shocked to see lights at the foothills, denoting the number of houses built there. Ideally, there should not have been any construction activity within 5-10 km radius of the city.

Moreover, the city is getting choked due to the flocking of people for health care, education, official work and recreation. One shudders to think about the situation 20 years from now.

Despite the High Court’s intervention, street vendors have made a mess of Corbusier’s planning.

The Administration is also unmindful of the environmental concerns. It is laying paver blocks and blocking all water-absorbing areas across the city. It would not be surprising if the city’s groundwater does not get recharged or the city is flooded in the monsoon.

What should be done to revive the city? Besides tackling the traffic mess and environmental degradation, stakeholders in Punjab and Haryana should develop parallel facilities in Mohali and Panchkula, so as not to choke the original Chandigarh. The Administration should be conscious of the special status and character of the city and must do everything to restore that. An advisory committee of city planners, architects, historians and original city inhabitants could be formed. What use is the label of a smart city, if we have a deteriorating facility on our plate!