Sector 5: Heart of Panchkula lost in civic neglect as authorities pass the buck

At the core of the issue is administrative ambiguity. Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) owns the land and is responsible for infrastructure development, while sanitation is handled by the Municipal Corporation (MC). But when questioned about the condition of Sector 5, each department shifted responsibility to the other.

At ground level, HSVP officials blamed the MC for sanitation problems, while MC officials claimed the area is outside their full jurisdiction. This lack of clarity has resulted in delayed action and no consistent maintenance plan. Residents and local vendors said that potholes are sometimes patched, but no lasting repairs have been made in months.

Shamsher Singh Dhillon, executive engineer, HSVP, stated that a new tender for the market’s parking area will be floated on June 6.

Meanwhile, Balraj Kumar, SDO at HSVP, cited a severe shortage of manpower as a major problem. “I’m managing multiple sectors — we just don’t have enough workers,” he said. He also admitted that although he intends to coordinate with the MC on the matter, no discussion has taken place yet, leaving him to manage the situation largely on his own.

The sector also has unregulated jhuggi settlements and barren stretches of land that remain undeveloped. Locals say the area lacks proper planning and does not resemble the kind of commercial centre it was meant to be. What makes the matter worse is the sheer size of Sector 5.

“It’s far too large and centrally located to be neglected like this. This should have been the city’s crown jewel,” a visitor familiar with the area said.

Panchkula Citizen Welfare Association (CWA) president S K Nayar said the association has repeatedly raised the issue of Sector 5’s deterioration over the past two decades. “This is the heart of Panchkula. It should have been developed like Sector 17 in Chandigarh,” he said. Nayar claims to have written around 20 letters to HUDA administrators and approached chief engineers and successive chief ministers over the years, asking that the sector be developed into a proper commercial centre. However, he said their concerns were only met with assurance, not action.

He added that Sector 5’s parks like Fountain Park and Nirjhar Vatika, have been handed over to the Panchkula Metropolitan DevelopmentAuthority (PMDA) by the HSVP as it lacked staff to maintain it. Now, the PMDA faces the same issue.

“If they cannot manage it, why hold on to it? Either maintain it or hand it over to a department that will,” Nayar said. He also pointed out that the poor condition of the area extends beyond the sabzi mandi. “The rest of Sector 5 is equally neglected. Whoever is responsible should act fast and restore the sector to what it was meant to be.”

While CSI Avinash has shared a sanitation complaint number 9696494949, officials higher up were unreachable. Attempts to contact MC Commissioner Aparajita and Estate Officer Manav Malik went unanswered at the time of reporting.

As long as jurisdiction remains unclear and departments continue working in silos, Sector 5’s development will remain stalled; far from the thriving commercial hub it was meant to be.

(The authors are interns at The Indian Express)