E-Paper
Sector-17 rejuvenation plan: 60% work still pending, deadline pushed to Dec 2023
First deadline passed 10 months ago in December 2021, yet multiple works under the ₹30-crore project to revamp the sector are still hanging fire
Envisaged four years ago to pump life back into Sector 17, UT administration’s ambitious rejuvenation plan for the sector itself is progressing at a snail’s pace.
Over 10 months after the first deadline of December 2021 passed, 60% work on the ₹30-crore project has yet to be completed. With most of the work still held up, the UT administration has now set a fresh deadline of December 2023.
Conceived in October 2018, the rejuvenation plan includes vibrant landscaping, food courts, a new fountain, sculpture plaza, new pavements, plantation, furniture and uniform lighting to revamp the Sector-17 Plaza. But not one of these projects has gotten underway.
A 30x30 metre map of Chandigarh, which is being engraved in front of Neelam Theatre using metal, stone and concrete, is also in the works since 2019. An open-air theatre near Bank Square and a 180-metre tabletop pathway for pedestrians behind Neelam Cinema are also hanging fire.
Besides, the work to restore the facade of government buildings in the sector, through cleaning, repairs, anti-corrosive treatment and re-plastering, which was to be finished in 2020, has also not finished.
Only two projects have been completed thus far — the Urban Park next to the football stadium and the Pedestrian Underpass that connects Sector 17 to Rose Garden, Sector 16. Both have been set up at a cost of ₹9 crore each.
UT chief engineer CB Ojha said, “The project is being executed under three phases. So far, around 40% of the work has been completed and we are now hopeful of completing all tasks by December 2023.”
Gurjot Singh, associate architect of Architectural Studio, Delhi, the consultant for the project, said, “Tenders for most of the projects have been floated. Along with the 30x30 metre map, projectors will also be installed by March next year that will showcase history of Chandigarh. The cleaning of government buildings is almost over and cleaning of private building is also underway.”
Once bustling with shoppers, Plaza now awaits customers
The Sector 17 Plaza, once a throbbing heart of the city, lost its past glory over the last decade with emergence of shopping malls, where state-of-the multiplexes also pulled away cinema goers who earlier thronged Neelam Theatre, KC Theatre and Jagat Cinema in the sector. A number of restaurants also shut shop amid dwindling customers.
While Neelam is in a shambles now, the KC Theatre, with its unique dome shape, has been a work in progress for years. Though Jagat converted into a multiplex, it has failed to lure crowds in the absence of shops.
Also, when the Sector-17 Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) was the only bus stand in the city, a trip to the Plaza was a must-do on the itinerary of all those travelling to the city. But with the creation of the Sector-43 ISBT, a major chunk of passenger footfall shifted.
The shifting of district courts to Sector 43 and many other government offices to Panchkula, Mohali and other places also contributed to a drastic drop in the number of visitors.
With temperatures setting new records every summer, people also are opting for air-conditioned malls than the shops in the open sector.
Revamp to make Plaza lively again
Under the rejuvenation plan, which aims to make the sector attractive again for visitors, the administration will set up new food courts that will run from the fountain in the main plaza to the General Post Office, and a new fountain near Jagat Theatre, making the central pedestrian area lively again. Besides, a sculpture plaza, where local artists can display their work, will come up in the vacant area near Madhya Marg.
The Plaza, which is spread across 27 acres, has been sequenced into 17 zones with primary and overlapping activities to encourage several sequences of movement in various seasons and times of the day, such that the area becomes a dynamic, self-sustaining entity.
There will be taxi, auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw stands along the outer edge of the Plaza. These stands/drop-off points will be a walking distance from golf cart stands, which will run on dedicated track for seamless movement within the Plaza.
Provisions will be made for barrier-free movement for pedestrians/cyclists/non-motorised vehicles at key junctions and crossings within the sector and along the periphery by providing table-tops and traffic calming measures.
What’s completed
Urban Park
Built at a cost of ₹9 crore, it is located next to the football stadium in Sector 17. It was completed in March 2022.
Pedestrian Underpass
Connecting Sector 17 to Rose Garden in Sector 16, ₹9-crore project was completed in December 2020.
In progress
30x30 metre map of Chandigarh
Open-air theatre near Bank Square
180-metre tabletop pathway for pedestrians behind Neelam Cinema
Work yet to begin
Landscaping
Restoration of government buildings’ facade
Construction of four food courts
New fountains
New pavements
Plantation
Furniture
Lightings
