Water, traffic, housing: Questions haunt Chandigarh’s Master Plan revamp

While the Administration says the changes are aimed at addressing land scarcity, housing demand and optimum utilisation of land, experts argue that no public assessment has been presented to show whether the city’s water supply, sewerage network, roads, parking infrastructure and social amenities can support the anticipated increase in population and built density.

“The proposed amendments substantially increase population and built density without demonstrating compliance with minimum infrastructure and social amenity standards prescribed under accepted planning norms,” said Deepika Gandhi, former Director of the Le Corbusier Centre and former Associate Professor at Chandigarh College of Architecture.

Infrastructure capacity questions

According to Gandhi, the amendments repeatedly state that infrastructure “shall be augmented” but do not provide detailed calculations regarding the present and future carrying capacity of water supply, electricity, sewerage, parking and public services.

“If we see water, the city already experiences summer stress. How will additional water be sourced and how much can the supply system realistically be expanded?” she asked.

Gandhi questioned whether studies had been conducted on additional sewage generation, treatment capacity, road network saturation, peak-hour traffic loads and parking requirements arising from densification.

She also pointed to existing pressures on schools, hospitals and community facilities.

“Where is the land and resources to provide additional school seats, hospital beds, community facilities, police infrastructure, fire services, disaster management capacity and public transport facilities for the increased population?” she asked.

According to her, authorities should have disclosed projections showing the likely increase in population and the corresponding demand for water, sewerage, parking and public amenities before placing the amendments in the public domain.

Road network already under strain

Concerns over infrastructure capacity are reflected in the steady rise in vehicle registrations.

Data with The Indian Express shows that Chandigarh registered nearly 29,000 new cars and two-wheelers in 2021. The figure rose to more than 37,000 in 2022 and crossed 43,000 in 2023, the highest in recent years. Even in 2025, registrations remained above 41,000 vehicles.

Car ownership has grown sharply, with registrations of light motor vehicles increasing from around 20,500 in 2021 to more than 28,000 in 2023. Nearly 20,000 new cars continue to be added every year.

Two-wheelers remain the largest category entering the city, with registrations crossing 23,000 in 2025.

Urban planners note that higher residential densities inevitably translate into more vehicles, increased parking demand and heavier traffic volumes. Yet Chandigarh’s road network, designed in the 1950s for a much smaller population, has remained largely unchanged.

As a result, intersections such as Tribune Chowk, Housing Board Chowk, Transport Chowk and the Zirakpur-Chandigarh entry points routinely witness severe congestion during peak hours. Parking shortages have become a recurring problem in commercial hubs including Sectors 17 and 22.

Water stress a recurring concern

Chandigarh’s water situation presents another challenge.

Every summer, complaints of low water pressure, dry taps and dependence on tubewells emerge across several sectors, villages and colony areas.

The city currently receives around 104 million gallons per day (MGD) of water, including nearly 87 MGD from the Bhakra canal system and about 17 MGD from tubewells.

However, rising population, expanding commercial activity and increasing per-capita consumption continue to place pressure on the system.

A Chandigarh Administration environment report projected that the city’s water demand would exceed 523 million litres per day by 2026.

Groundwater depletion remains another concern. Data from the Central Ground Water Board has shown declining groundwater levels because of excessive extraction and inadequate recharge.

Experts argue that if the city is already struggling to meet existing demand, a substantial increase in population density will inevitably intensify pressure on water resources.

Housing debate resurfaces

Questions over Chandigarh’s capacity to accommodate more residents are not new.

In 2023, then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had publicly stated that “Chandigarh could not continue to accommodate unlimited population growth” and expressed reservations about launching large-scale housing schemes within the city.

The Administration had then maintained that future population growth would be absorbed by satellite towns such as Mohali, Panchkula, New Chandigarh, Zirakpur and Kharar.

Urban planners point out that Chandigarh’s housing stock, schools, healthcare facilities, parking infrastructure and public utilities were designed for a finite population.

They argue that while redevelopment and better utilisation of land may be necessary, significantly higher densities without corresponding civic infrastructure expansion could place additional pressure on already stretched services.

Parking challenge looms

Parking is emerging as another major concern linked to the proposed densification.

Chandigarh, originally designed as a low-density city with generous open spaces, is already witnessing pressure on parking infrastructure.

Several residential sectors, particularly in the southern sectors, face overflowing on-street parking, encroachment of green belts and congestion around markets and institutions.

Critics note that the draft amendments do not quantify the additional parking demand likely to arise from higher FAR and increased population densities, nor do they specify where the required parking infrastructure will be created.

For instance, a ten-marla house that currently accommodates two or three vehicles belonging to a single family could potentially house three separate dwelling units, resulting in 10 to 12 vehicles using the same plot while road widths and public parking spaces remain unchanged.

Questions over Manimajra’s stilt-plus-five proposal

Architect and former nominated councillor Surinder Bahga has expressed particular concern over the proposal to permit stilt-plus-five buildings in Manimajra.

“Architecturally there is a huge problem. It will ruin the city,” Bahga said, questioning why a Master Plan prepared after extensive consultations was being altered before its intended horizon year of 2031.

He asked whether detailed studies had been conducted before the proposal was introduced.

Bahga cautioned that higher densities would increase pressure on water supply, sewerage systems, roads, parking and public services.

“Chandigarh already supports nearly 12 lakh people and around 14 lakh vehicles. Higher density may further strain existing infrastructure. Development should therefore be supported with infrastructure upgrades,” he said.

‘A city is more than pipes and roads’

For Gandhi, the central issue remains the absence of a publicly available carrying-capacity assessment.

“The amendments fail to establish how infrastructure carrying capacity and compliance with planning standards will be achieved during and after the proposed densification,” she said.

She argued that planning decisions should be supported by clear projections showing how much additional population the city can sustain and whether critical services can be expanded accordingly.

“Before the proposal was even put into public scrutiny, were such calculations made? Increase in FAR from X to Y in Z acres potentially increases population by ___ persons, requiring ___ MLD additional water, ___ sewer capacity, ___ school seats, ___ ECS parking, whereas existing infrastructure is already operating at ___% capacity.”

‘Is Chandigarh trading its soul for additional floor space?’

Urban activist Deepak Sharma, who spearheaded the campaign against the Stilt+4 policy in neighbouring Panchkula, described the proposed amendments as a defining moment for Chandigarh’s future.

Terming it the “ghettoisation of the last planned city”, Sharma argued that Chandigarh was contemplating a path that many cities are now trying to reverse.

“Cities are meant for people, not for maximising construction potential,” Sharma said.

According to him, the debate is not about building heights or FAR alone but about whether Chandigarh is willing to sacrifice its carefully maintained urban balance in exchange for additional real-estate value.

Drawing parallels with Haryana’s Stilt+4 experience, Sharma pointed to complaints of congestion, parking shortages, pressure on civic infrastructure and declining quality of life.

“The real infrastructure of a city is not limited to roads, drains and electricity lines. It includes schools, hospitals, parks, playgrounds, public institutions, community facilities and environmental assets,” he said.

Sharma questioned whether comprehensive studies had been conducted on future requirements for schools, healthcare, water, electricity and environmental carrying capacity.

He also challenged the logic of densification when Mohali, Panchkula, New Chandigarh, Zirakpur and Kharar were specifically developed to absorb regional population growth.

“The tri-city model was supposed to distribute population growth across the region. If that strategy has succeeded, why is Chandigarh now attempting to internalise the very population pressure it once sought to disperse?” he asked.

Sharma warned that Chandigarh’s greatest strength lies not merely in its architecture but in its environmental design, characterised by wide roads, extensive tree cover, open spaces and controlled density.

“The danger lies in mistaking restraint for stagnation and density for progress,” he added.

CHANDIGARH IN NUMBERS

• Population supported currently: Nearly 12 lakh
• Vehicles on city roads: Around 14 lakh
• Daily water supply: 104 MGD

* Bhakra canal system: 87 MGD
* Tubewells: 17 MGD
* Projected water demand by 2026: 523 million litres per day
* New vehicles added in 2025: More than 41,000
* Two-wheelers registered in 2025: Over 23,000
* New cars added annually: Nearly 20,000

WHAT THE MASTER PLAN REVAMP PROPOSES

• Group housing to replace new plotted development
• High-rise housing in Phase-III and peripheral sectors
• Stilt-plus-five buildings in Manimajra Pocket 6
• High-rise development in 178-acre Maloya residential pocket
• FAR up to 3.0 for group housing in Phase-III sectors
• Mixed land-use expansion across nearly 176 acres along Vikas Marg
• Higher FAR and ground coverage for commercial establishments
• Industrial Area Phase I & II FAR proposed at 2.0 with 60% ground coverage
• Vacant Industrial Area Phase III land to be converted into mixed-use development
• Enhanced height, FAR and coverage norms for educational institutions

RED FLAGS RAISED BY EXPERTS

• No disclosed carrying-capacity assessment
• No estimate of additional population likely to be added
• No projection of extra water demand
• No estimate of additional sewage generation
• No assessment of peak-hour traffic load
• No calculation of future parking demand
• No roadmap for additional school seats and hospital beds
• No public study on infrastructure upgrades required before densification