Chandigarh: Residents’ body demands separate wards for rural and urban Manimajra
The RWA is asking that a separate urban ward be made of Manimajra pockets 1 to 6, comprising urban residential colonies like MHC, Rajeev Vihar, Uppal Marble Arch, Shivalik Enclave, NAC and adjoining residential colonies.
The resident welfare association (RWA) of the Modern Housing Complex (MHC) in Sector 13 (Manimajra) has written to the UT adviser asking that ward number 25 be split into two separate parts with the rural part of Manimajra in one and the urban part in the other.
Speaking about this, president of the RWA Colonel (retd) Gursewak Singh said, “The existing ward 25 comprises, on the one hand, the bulk of rural area, and on the other, the new urban modern colonies of MHC, Rajeev Vihar and Uppal Marble Arch. Civic amenities and need-based development of these residential areas are and would be basically different from those of the old, rural areas and these entities must be clubbed together to form a new ward in Sector 13.”
Colonel Gursewak added that without the bifurcation, many development works including construction of bus shelters and e-sampark centres had been delayed for more than three years.
General secretary of the RWA, SA Qureshi, said all the past municipal corporation (MC) councillors including the current one from their ward were from Manimajra village, so it was seen that the urban parts of Manimajra were being neglected as compared to Manimajra village.
The RWA is asking that a separate urban ward be made of Manimajra pockets 1 to 6, comprising urban residential colonies like MHC, Rajeev Vihar, Uppal Marble Arch, Shivalik Enclave, NAC and adjoining residential colonies.
On the other hand, MC councillor Jagtar Singh Jagga said, “True, we have a big ward, but most development work is being done for the urban areas only. They have the best water supply and working lights. They have recently gotten a railway under bridge (RUB) installed. Meanwhile, the village paints a contrasting picture and I have been working towards solving the problems of the village residents as well.”
In 2019, the MHC RWA had written to the UT administration for the renaming of Manimajra as Sector 13. The suggestion was first floated on the occasion of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, citing the auspiciousness of the number 13. It was following their letters that the area was renamed Sector 13.