Areas in Chandigarh

Areas in Chandigarh - Though originally Chandigarh was designed as a small compact city, the trifurcation of erstwhile larger Punjab, has put immense pressure on its infrastructure. This meant that the city had to grow at a much faster pace than planned. But it also prompted the two disputing states to build their own versions of Chandigarh along its borders. Thus the birth of Panchkula and Mohali. Today, essentially for the residents, all three form a single unit, a single city.

Sector 17 is the prime downtown district of the city. It centres around a huge pedestrian plaza adorned by large water sculpture as its centerpiece, with four-storeyed shopping blocks spread all round. It is the area where you go for almost every reason: buy a toothbrush or an air conditioner, meet a friend or shed the blues. Occasionally, a local cultural troupe comes in to perform at the central plaza and everyone present gets to enjoy a cultural evening for free.

Shopping, of course, is one of the most important chores here. Every major international and domestic brand is listed on the name boards and a large number of dining options cover the tastes of shoppers.

With the filling up of Sector 17, The Spillover has gone over to adjoining areas - Sector 22 and 35 on one side and Sectors 9,8 and 26 on the other. The commercial centres of these sectors lying along the Himalaya Marg and Madhya Marg, too, have developed in to new downtowns with hotels, restaurants, airline offices, and fine shopping extending for miles. Even discotheques have moved in there.

The northern district of Mani Majra, which earlier used to be looked upon as a poor man's Chandigarh and a distant suburb, is suddenly riding the high waves with the location of IT Park in its vicinity. Fun Republic at Mani Majra, at the outskirts of the city marks Chandigarh's foray into the mall culture. This huge mall is fast becoming a popular destination especially on the weekends. The multistoried complex boasts of a multiplex, a food court and some extravagant shopping. Famous joints like Ruby Tuesday and McDonalds are very popular with the local crowd.

Chandigarh, however, is no longer a single city. Today it is a large conglomerate enclosing Panchkula (Haryana's version of Chandigarh) and Mohali (the Punjab's attempt at emulation) with hardly a discernible separation. People of each division talk and move about the whole as one and will hardly think twice to go shopping or to entertain at any of the three. Therefore, Panchkula's Sector 5 forms as much Chandigarh's downtown as Sector 17.