Master Plan may involve increasing population in first phase sectors

Of these Sectors 1 to 9 are especially sparsely populated while the central and southern sectors have a substantial part of the population residing there. The shrinking land in the city is a major concern in preparation of the Master Plan.

The city ranks second in population density in the country,just behind Delhi-NCR. The population density is 9,252 per sq kilometre against 7,900 per sq kilometre in 2001. With space being limited,there is a problem of housing for the growing population. There are a large number of migrants in the city who are settled in the colonies and slums.

While houses are being built under the Rehabilitation Scheme,it is likely that there would be a need for more houses. It has also been proposed that in the northern sectors,it would be made mandatory to provide a room for domestic helps to live in.

Some of these sectors have houses built on areas of six canals and above where the number of people residing is low. Many times it is seen that only a domestic help resides in these houses.

UT Chief Architect Sumit Kaur said that an indepth study of the holding capacity of the city has been done.

“The number of houses required would be according to the population projection for the coming years. We are earmarking pockets where there is scope for accommodating more people. The Apartment Act is being studied to work out the modalities,” she said.

Kaur says that redensification was,in fact,one of the concepts given by Le Corbusier. “The old records show that Corbusier had mooted the idea of redensification of the first phase after the population crossed the 5 lakh that the city was designed for. The residents enjoy a quality of life in the city due to the balance between infrastructure and population. This has to be maintained. The proposal for redensification would be prepared keeping this in mind.”

Once the draft of the Master Plan is prepared and approved by the Administrator,suggestions would be invited from the people. The process is likely to take around six months.

The focus of the Master Plan would also be on preserving Chandigarh’s green cover. It is being proposed that city forests be developed in the periphery.

The development around the Wildlife Sanctuary would be looked into. A committee has already been constituted to make recommendations for declaring the area around the Wildlife Sanctuary an eco-sensitive zone.