LOCATION AND SIZE.
Latitude & Longitude: Chandigarh is at an altitude of 304-365 meters above MSL (Mean Sea Level) with 1% drainage gradient and lies between 30°44’14 North Latitude and 76°47’14 East Longitudes. The highest elevation of this area is about 501 meters above mean sea level.
Surrounding area of the District:
Territory now named as ‘Chandigarh - The City Beautiful’ was part of Ambala District. It is one of the best way planned urban area with availability of amenities and modern architecture. Chandigarh as a Union Territory emerged to the result of reorganization of erstwhile Punjab State with effect from 1st November 1966 under the Reorganization Act, 1966. It is surrounded by Punjab from three sides (North, South and West) and by fourth side from Haryana in the East.
Area of the District:
In March, 1948, the Government of Punjab, in consultation with the Government of India, approved the area of the foothills of the Shivaliks as the site for the new capital. No changes have occurred in external boundaries of the district over the years. It has an area of 114 sq. kms. Urban and rural area of the district has covered an area of 109.53 sq. km. and 4.47 sq. km. respectively.
North-south/East-west extension: Chandigarh is located in the foothills of Shivalik hill ranges in the North, which form a part of the fragile Himalaya ecosystem. It is occupied by Kandi (Bhabhar) in the north east and Sirowal (Tarai) and alluvial plains in the remaining part. From city point of view Chandigarh which houses, the Capital of Punjab and Haryana States besides being the seat of Chandigarh Union Territory Administration. It is linked with all prominent cities and towns of Punjab and Haryana States. Though natural boundaries exist around the city, urban growth has been noticed in East in Panchkula and in Mohali in the South side. Northern side linked to Baddi, has proved to be the potential hub for education and industry which attracted students and workers in the past. Development potential of the southern portion of the Mullanpur which is close to the film city and education city of Chandigarh attracts temporary residents of Chandigarh for settlement at later stage. Developing sites on Panchkula - Zirakpur provides major scene of growth around the city. NH-21 linkage from Mohali to Ambala has touched the thousand lives of surrounding areas.
Physiography :
Chandigarh is a single District Union Territory, which was created on 1st November 1966 as a result of trifurcation of erstwhile Punjab State into Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The present location of Chandigarh was a part of the erstwhile Kharar tahsil then in Ambala district as per the 1892-93 Gazette of the district Ambala. Since both Haryana and Punjab put their claim on Chandigarh City, so it was decided to keep it as a joint capital of both the States under Central Government Administration as a separate Union Territory till the Central Government could decide about its transfer. It has an area of 114 sq. km. inhabited by 1,055,450 persons in 2011 Census conveying a density of 9,258 persons per sq. Km.
Chandigarh Shivalik:
Chandigarh Shivalik forms the north-eastern part of the District, covering part of rural as well urban units of the city, viz. Kaimbwala1, Khuda Alisher2 and Lahora3. It has an area of 5.07 sq.km. which is inhabited by 18,977 persons. It is bounded by Punjab in the north and north-east, by Haryana in the east, by Chandigarh plain in the south and west. The region has Ochrepts-Orthents types of soil. Ochrepts are shallow black, brown and alluvial soils of northern region whereas Orthents are recently formed soils. Its northern fringes have Siwalik-Mio-Pleistocene geological structure while southern parts have geological structure of Alluvium-Recent. On its south-eastern border, Sukhna Lake is existing. In order to check silting of the lake, Forest Department of the Union Territory is doing extensive work for soil conservation in the catchments area which mostly falls in this region. Eucalyptus, Khair, Kikar, Shisham, Phulahi and Bamboo are the important species found here. Kaimbwala is an important village dominantly inhabited by Gujjar community whose main occupation is rearing of cattle and selling of milk. The traditional marketing centre of the inhabitants of Kaimbwala is Manimajra, which can be reached by a pucca road. Mandis and regular markets exist in Khuda Alisher and Lahora, still Chandigarh city is the main marketing centre for the inhabitants of Khuda Alisher and Lohara villages, which are connected by road. The density of population in the region is 3,743 persons per sq.km. whereas in Chandigarh Plain it is 9,515 persons per sq.km. which is more than twice from what is the density variation in Chandigarh Shivalik. Growth of population in this region has been recorded as 73.02 per cent during 2001-2011 which is higher than plain area. Though there is no urban centre in the region yet relatively high growth of population is mainly associated with its close proximity to the city of Chandigarh where comparatively high rents forced the people to find cheaper accommodation in this region. It has 4,200 persons belonging to Scheduled Castes out of a total of 18,977 in these units of the District. Total literates in rural and urban area of District are 805,438 of which 13,687 reside in this region. Literacy rate is 84.1 per cent in this region. Sex ratio is as low as 763 indicating high male immigration.
Chandigarh Plain:
Chandigarh plain is a fertile alluvial plain, consisting of 4 villages and 4 Census Towns, and 1 Statutory Town including 1 outgrowth. It is bounded by Punjab and Chandigarh Shivalik in the north, by Haryana in the east, by Punjab again in the south and west. With an area of 108.93 sq.km, it is inhabited by 1,036,473 persons, of which 22,941 reside in rural areas and 1,013,532 in urban areas. In plain four villages are Sarangpur, Dhanas, Raipur Khurd, and Raipur Kalan & Makhan Majra. Five urban centres are Chandigarh (M Corp. + OG); Manimajra (R), Basti Kishangarh, and Basti Bhagwanpura (CT); Daria (CT), Mauli Jagran (CT), and Behlana (CT). Chandigarh City is the biggest urban centre with a population of 1,013,532 persons including the Census Towns and Outgrowth of Khuda Jassu. The region (Chandigarh Plain) contains 95.6 per cent of the total area of the Union Territory of Chandigarh where 98.2 per cent of the total population resides. In plain the most densely populated town of the district is Daria accommodating 14,470 persons in an area of 0.54 sq. kms. The north-west and south-east peripheries of Chandigarh City are bounded by dry beds of Sukhna Choe and Patiali Rao. These are seasonal bounded rivers - and the quantity of water is dependent on the rainfall in their catchment areas. Sukhna Lake is located on its northern parts. The Shivalik, on its north-east, dry beds of seasonal rivers on southeast and northwest periphery, make natural barrier for the expansion of the city in these directions. Southwest is the only side towards which the city may naturally expand and is expanding to meet the growing demand of its population. The city is the joint capital of Punjab State and Haryana State, besides the head-quarters of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The city is known for its academic and educational facilities. It is one of the most modern cities of the world. The present urban form of Chandigarh derives from the well-ordered matrix of the generic ‘Neighbourhood unit’ - the Sector - and the hierarchical circulation pattern originating from the Le Corbusier’s theory of 7 Vs with a regular intersection of the fast traffic V-3 roads defining each ‘Sector’. The region is well developed in terms of the means of communications and transportations. National Highway 21 and broad gauge railway line pass through this region. Chandigarh City is well connected with roads. Chandigarh has a ‘GRID’ plan, as most planned cities, inevitably tend to have. It is a rectangular grid 800 metres x 1200 metres (½ mile x ¾ mile). The space contained within the grid is called a ‘Sector’ which is the basic planning unit of the city. The dimension of the grid is based on the assumption that each sector should be self-sufficient for the essential daily needs of living and each requirement should be met within walking distance inside sector. Each sector is surrounded by vehicular roads called V-3s (the Grid) from which access to the sector is available at four controlled points situated approximately at the bisector of each surrounding length or road. The green space is meant to feed the recreational, educational, social and spiritual needs of the sector. Thus schools, health centres, community centres, playing fields are located in this space, and places of worship are also located nearby. A residential sector seeks to provide all the educational needs of its resident’s up to the junior secondary stage but in practice this cannot be adhered to as some children prefer schools located in other sectors than their own. Besides some sectors have schools exclusively for girls and some for boys. As already mentioned the planning unit of the city is a sector but there are some variations which comprise the special areas and which do not follow the planning concept of a typical residential sector.
There are following four main work centers in the Chandigarh City:
1.The capitol complex which was the seat of the erstwhile Punjab Government up to the reorganization of Punjab State in November 1966, is being used by the Governments of Punjab and Haryana. It consists of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat and the High Court. These can also be called, law making, law executing and law interpreting premises.
2.The City and District centres in Sector 17 are in the heart of the city. The central plaza was designed by Le Carbusir as “Pedestrian Paradise”. Some of the administrative offices of Chandigarh Union Territory and the State Governments are located here. The city centre is essentially the civic centre and the commercial centre of the city.
(iii) Chandigarh was not conceived as an industrial city. It was meant to be an administrative centre and an educational centre. But an area on the southeast periphery is set aside as an industrial area. Only such industries as powered by electricity are permitted in the industrial area so that atmosphere is saved from pollution. The idea was that any city now requires a service industry to keep the city going, for example, motor vehicle repairs, manufacturing of furniture, doors, windows, hardware, kitchenware, electric goods, trangistors, gas ,cookers, soft drinks, miscellaneous goods of daily use, etc.
(iv) The zone of under-graduate, post-graduate studies and spiritual and temporal health of the whole city is located in the north-west.
V-1 :Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns and cities;
V-2 :Multipurpose Arterial road with fast and slow carriage ways, cycle and pedestrian tracks (these are Jan Marg, Madhya Marg, Himalaya Marg, Uttar Marg, and Dakshin Marg);
V-3 : Fast straight traffic road on the periphery of a sector;
V-4 :Shopping street with shops on southwest side only and open areas for car parking. These are winding streets intended to slow down traffic;
V-5 :Distributory road within a sector leading to groups of housing (these roads ensures traffic distribution within a sector);
V-6 : Feeder road to individual houses; V-7 : Pedestrian path and
V-8 : Cycle track.
Chandigarh City of this region has developed a unique and rich character closely related with the composition of its society. No longer merely bureaucratic, the city has a generous sprinkling of social, political, economic and intellectual elites who dictate the pattern of its life. Its sizeable student community foreigners (particularly-Thais, Negroes, Iranis) and Indians suffuse it with colour, vitality and elegance. Chandigarh is fast becoming a cosmopolitan city and reflects the moods, life-styles and culture of its variegated population. The region is culturally rich and has congenial climate for its expansion. The Chandigarh district has developed during the decade in housing, infrastructure, and education. Besides development and improvement in infrastructure facilities for the public services to the residents, city has been decorated with a hub of Information Technology. A project Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park came up in 2005.
Climate.
Chandigarh falls under Koeppen's CWG category i.e. it has cold dry winter, hot summer and sub tropical monsoon. Evaporation usually exceeds precipitation and the weather is generally dry. January and June are the months during which the lowest and highest temperatures have been recorded respectively. With the onset of monsoon in July the temperature starts declining. A major part of the annual rainfall is received during June to October. The other period of rainfall is in winter months from October to March. But the rainfall is scanty. The summer rainfall is caused by the southwest monsoon, which is beneficial for kharif crops. The winter rainfall caused by cyclones is also significant for rabi crops. The area experiences four seasons: (i) Summer or hot season (mid-March to MidJune) (ii) Rainy season (late-June to mid-September); (iii) Post monsoon autumn/transition season (mid September to mid-November); (iv) Winter (mid November to mid-March). The dry spell of summer is long but with the occasional drizzles or thunder storms. May and June are the hottest months of the year with the mean daily maximum & minimum temperatures being about 37 °C & 25°C respectively. Maximum temperatures can rise up to 44°C. Southwest monsoons with high intensity showers commence in late June. The weather at this time is hot and humid. The variation in annual rainfall on year to year basis is appreciable i.e. 700 mm to 1200 mm. The 20 year average rainfall for Chandigarh is 1100.7 mm. January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperatures being around 23 and 36°C respectively. Winds are generally light and blow from northwest to southeast direction with exception of easterly to southeasterly winds that blow on some days during the summer season.
Soil.
The region had ochrepts – orthents types of soil. While the ochrepts are shallow black brown and alluvial soils of the northern region, orthents are the recently formed soils. The northern fringes of the Union Territory have Siwalik (Mio-Pleistocene) geological structure. While southern parts have geological structure of alluvium. On its north-eastern side lies the Sukhna Lake. In order to check silting of the lake the Forest Department of the Union Territory is doing extensive work on soil conservation in the catchment area. Soils are good for growing wheat, maize and sugarcane crops.
Cropping pattern:
Chandigarh is mostly urbanised having 109.53 sq.Km. urban area while the rural area is only 4.47 sq.Km., Fodder and Wheat are the main crops grown here. The land use pattern has been classified under the sub heads as forest, irrigated, unirrigated, culturable waste and area not available for cultivation in the table ahead.
Forests: Forests are those lands, which are administered, as forests under legal enactment and which are State or private owned. These do not include any land, which is being put to some agricultural use. There is hardly any forest in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, but Chandigarh Administration has been able to have small tracks of forests by acquiring some area on lease from Punjab and Haryana States. There is about 3,245 hectares of forest area in Kansal (leased from Punjab) and Nepli (leased from Haryana) forest and some area in Kaimbwala village of Chandigarh Union Territory. The forest area is mostly around Sukhna Lake, rivulets – Sukhna choe and Patiali-Ki-Rao.
Irrigated lands:
Irrigated lands are those lands, which are sown with crops and orchards and are irrigated. The common source of irrigation is tube well. The water level in the northern and north-eastern villages is generally very low, but position in other villages is comparatively better. According to 2011 village directory, the irrigated area is 212.89 hectares.
Unirrigated lands:
Unirrigated lands are those, which are sown with crops and orchards including the current fallows, but which are not irrigated by any means. Unirrigated area is 61.20 hectares as per the village directory.
Culturable waste:
This includes land fit for cultivation, whether or not taken up for cultivation but is not cultivated for more than 5 years in succession. The area under culturable waste comes to 273.79 hectares as per the village directory.
Area not available for cultivation:
This includes land not available for cultivation such as barren, unculturable land and land put to non-agricultural uses such as buildings, roads, railways, water works etc. This Union Territory being mainly urban, a greater part of the land has been utilized for construction of houses, roads, railway station and railway tracks, workshops, factories, godowns, parks etc., which are common pattern of urban areas. Land available for cultivation is mostly located in the villages, which is shrinking due to greater demand for some more profitable non-agricultural uses.
Flora and Fauna: Ki Kar (Accasia arabica), Barota, Pipal (Ficus religiosa), Shisham (Dalbergia Sissoo) and Neem are the common trees found in this Union Territory. Mango (Mangifera indica) trees are found in the rural as well as in the urban areas. Jackal, hare, wild bear, wild cats are a common sight in the villages of northern side of this Union Territory, which is close to Shivalik hills. Parrots, multicoloured sparrows, pigeons, crows, doves, gatar, nightingale and kite are common birds found here.
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