Chandigarh’s catch 22: What ails its villages

In the absence of building bylaws for villages, there has been no check on the haphazard urbanisation and development. There has been a rise in unsafe and unregulated construction in these villages.

According to the data of the UT Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, of the total area of 6,334 acres of villages in the jurisdiction of the Chandigarh Administration, unauthorised construction beyond lal dora is to the tune of 254 acres. The term lal dora refers to the village land that can be used for non-agricultural purpose only or for support systems like livestock.

In the absence of effective development controls and lack of enforcement of rules, the sectoral villages have transformed into urban colonies. The wide range of commercial activities carried out in these villages has spilled onto the residential area of the adjoining sectors, thus becoming a source of nuisance.

Over the years, these villages have recorded a high rate of population growth as they are meeting demand for cheaper housing. A large number of residential houses in these villages such as Burail and Maloya have been converted into cheap dormitories which lack proper light and ventilation. With structural safety low on priority, a large number of high-rise guesthouses and hotels have also come up in the sectoral villages. These buildings have been constructed on both sides of narrow roads, thus causing traffic congestion and bottlenecks.

Kusam Rana, a resident of Burail village, laments that unchecked growth in commercial activities has led to the problems of law and order, traffic congestion and parking. “With no check, there has been mindless construction in Burail in the last one decade,” she said.

Hygiene is one of the major concerns in most of the villages as they are plagued with insufficient and inefficient sewage facilities. Tardy garbage disposal is another factor adding to unhygienic conditions with piles of garbage and litter strewn in narrow lanes of these villages. Shri Ramji, BJP mandal pardhan of Kaimbwala and Khuda Ali Sher, asserts that most of the villages do not have proper sewerage facility.

Stress on development of villages in Master Plan

The Chandigarh Administration has laid stress on planned development of the rural areas in the Master Plan 2031 and has mooted several steps in this direction. To ensure planned development of the villages, the administration has proposed to carry out a detailed study to ascertain the extent and nature of constructions, existing land use, building character, community facilities, open spaces, sewerage, drainage, electricity, road network and encroachments.

Based on the study, a development plan will be prepared for each village in view of its specific location, character, problems and pressures. In the Master Plan, it has been proposed that the villages on the periphery such as Kaimbwala and Khuda Ali Sher should continue to retain their rural character. The Master Plan has also suggested steps for ensuring energy efficiency in villages, providing basic infrastructure and promoting rural tourism. UT chief architect Kapil Setia says that a lot of emphasis has been laid on overall development of villages in the Master Plan. They are working on executing the proposals which have been made after due deliberations by experts.
Plans to transfer 13 villages to MC

With an aim to bring uniformity in the development and governance of the villages, the administration is planning to transfer the remaining 13 villages to the civic body. The UT villages are governed under the Panchayati Raj system in which elections are held for the panchayat, panchayat samiti and zila parishad.

At present there are 26 wards in the MC and with the addition of 13 villages, the number of wards will go up to 33. MC elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. All the 13 villages are located within the 8-km radius of the city having a population of over 50,000. The move has been opposed by all the 13 villages. Hukam Chand, president of Chandigarh Sarpanch Association, said that they were against inclusion of villages in the jurisdiction of the municipal corporation as the civic body has failed to resolve the issues of villages under its authority.

“All the villages have the same issues and the administration should first resolve them before bringing them under the municipal corporation,” said Chand.

Model village: Sarangpur

Local MP Kirron Kher has adopted Sarangpur with an aim to develop it into a model village under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojna of the Central government. Sadhu Singh, sarpanch of the village, said that a lot of development work had been carried out in the village after it was adopted by the MP.

Giving details of the development work, Sadhu Singh said that veterinary dispensary, garbage centre and toilets had been set up. The other works include repair of roads and installation of gensets at the village tubewell. Community centre and stadium are also planned for the village under the scheme.