Roadmap to develop Panchkula being readied

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 28

The Haryana Government has prepared a roadmap for the overall and integrated development of Panchkula district. The district will be developed as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in various areas, which will be ecological and eco-friendly.

In this series, it is planned that a film city on about 50 acres to 60 acres in the HMT, Pinjore will be developed, where model studios will be developed.

The Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning Department, AK Singh, directed officers of the departments concerned to expedite various projects being implemented for the purpose of integrated development of the district.

He said Panchkula district would be a centre for planned regional development and the focus would be on cultural activities, including tourism, entertainment, recreation, medicine, industrial development, sports and Ayurveda. For this, the forest, tourism and sports departments are working together.

AK Singh said several projects had been started to improve connectivity here. Under ‘PR-7’, connectivity work would be expedited on the road proposed by Punjab to the Chandigarh Airport. In this series, the construction of a bridge on the Ghaggar river was going on to connect Sector 20-21 and Sector 24-26.

He said he work would also be done to upgrade the Ramgarh-Mubarakpur-Derabassi road on the National Highway-73 for connectivity to Ramgarh.

Besides, the road would also be widened from the Morni-Raipur Rani road on the NH-73 and from the Chandimandir T-junction to the Morni road on the NH-73. There is also a plan to connect Ramgarh to Himachal Pradesh by connecting Sector 32, Panchkula, to the DLF township in Pinjore, near Parwanoo.

AK Singh said instead of concrete structures, the emphasis would be laid on temporary and nature-friendly constructions in terms of tourism. Besides, the possibility of paragliding in Thapli forest would also be explored along with camping and trekking. He added that structures of buildings such as Mountain Quail, Morni and Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore, as well as Red Bishop would be used in the area to promote tourism. He said to promote medical tourism in the area, seven to 10 places would be identified for hospitals. The possibility of increasing cooperation with the PGI, Chandigarh, to provide medical facilities on the lines of Medanta, Gurugram, would also be explored. Similarly, the work would also be done to set up institutes such as an education city here. The pharma industry falling under the white, green and orange categories would be promoted here.

Centre for planned regional development

• Panchkula district would be a centre for planned regional development and the focus would be on cultural activities, including tourism, entertainment, recreation, medicine, industrial development, sports and Ayurveda.
• For this, the forest, tourism and sports departments are working together.