S.A.S. Nagar

Mohali
City
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
Mohali
Mohali
Coordinates: 30°47′N 76°41′E / 30.78°N 76.69°E / 30.78; 76.69Coordinates: 30°47′N 76°41′E / 30.78°N 76.69°E / 30.78; 76.69
Country  India
State Punjab
District Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district
Established 1 November 1966
Named for Sahibzada Ajit Singh
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Body Municipal Corporation Mohali
 • Mayor Kulwant Singh [1]
 • Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Sapra[2]
Elevation 316 m (1,037 ft)
Population (2011)
 • City 146,213
 • Metro 176,170
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Pincode(s) 140XXX - 160XXX
Area code(s) +91 172
Vehicle registration PB-65
Sex ratio 0.911 males/female (City)
Literacy 91.96% (City)
91.86% (Metro)
GDP ₹6,500 crore (US$ 1.3 bn) in 2009-10
Website http://mcmohali.org/

Mohali, Ajitgarh or Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is a city in the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district (SAS Nagar) in Punjab, India, which is a commercial hub lying south-west to the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar District. It is also one of the six Municipal Corporations of the State. It was officially named after Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh as SAS Nagar ("The City of Sahibzada Ajit Singh"). It is still known and popular as 'Mohali' among local people and other parts of India.[3]

Mohali has emerged as one of the most important cities in Punjab and the rest of northern India; it is developing rapidly as an IT Hub of the state. Special emphasis has been made by the state government to make this city the best place to live in the Punjab. The city also has many international sporting venues consisting of a magnificent cricket stadium, hockey stadium, indoor stadiums, golf course. An International Airport and projects like World Trade Centre, Aerocity are also coming up.[4]

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, along with Chandigarh and Panchkula, forms a part of the Chandigarh Tricity. It was earlier a part of the Rupnagar District, and was carved out as a separate district in 2006.

History

Early history

The city has a pre-historic past. Due to the presence of the lake, the area has fossil remains with imprints of a large variety of aquatic plants and animals, and amphibian life, which were supported by that environment. As it was a part of the Punjab region, it had many rivers nearby where the ancient and primitive settlement by humans began. Some 8,000 years ago, the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans.[5]

Medieval history

Mohali is name of village which means settlement. The village was a part of Sikh Empire.[6]

The village Lambian located in city, was visited by Guru Har Rai, 7th Guru of Sikhs.[7] A historical battle also took place between British and 500 Sikhs under the command of Akali Hanuman Singh, where Akali attained martyrdom.

Modern history

After the partition of India in 1947, the former British province of Punjab was also split between (mostly Sikh) east Punjab in India and (mostly Muslim) west Punjab in Pakistan.[8] The Indian Punjab required a new capital city to replace Lahore, which became part of Pakistan during partition.[9][10] Consequently, the government carved out Chandigarh of nearly 50 Pwadhi speaking villages of the then state of East Punjab, India.[11]

Mohali was conceived after the trifurcation of Punjab and its capital Chandigarh becoming a Union Territory in the late 1960s. In 1967, area around Mohali Village was initially developed as an industrial estate; which was expanded with residential area to meet housing demands.[12] The township plan for Mohali was put forward by All India Congress Committee during annual session held in 1975 at Mohali. On November 1, 1975, Punjab Chief Minister Giani Zail Singh laid the foundation stone of Mohali and named it Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. Ironically, there’s no record of Mohali’s foundation stone which has gone missing with the government.

City design

Mohali and Chandigarh are contiguous areas with only the boundary between Punjab and Chandigarh dividing this area. The original plan of Mohali is in fact a mere extension of the road and a 800m x 1200m exension of the sector design system of Chandigarh without any unique planning.

The first 11 sectors in Mohali are popularly known as Phases. Early development was only till Phase VII. The development of sectors and phases from Phase 8 onwards started in the late 1980s, and the city got its own bus stand in Phase 8 in the mid 1990s. Some sectors share both with Chandigarh and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar like 48, 51, 52, 54 and 56 onwards all fall in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Region.

The region has been targeted by an increasing number of outsourcing IT companies, who look to capitalize on the rich investment opportunities the city offers.

GMADA master plan

In GMADA master plan, the city is extended up to 127 Sectors which include nearby villages [13] like Bakarpur, Thaska, Manana, Tapauli, Behlol, Sihanpur, Jandpur, Daun, Bar Majra, Balongi, Ballo Majra, Desumajra, Chajju Majra, Harlalpur, Jhungian, Chaparchiri, Santemajra, Khuni Majra, Kailon, Landran, Bhago Majra, Raipur Kalan, Bairampur, Manakmajra, Sukhgarh, Sambalki, Saneta, Bathlana, Pattlin, Kurali, Siaun, Kishanpura, Naraingarh, Matran, Bari, Dyalpur, Shafipur, Landiali, Jheureri, Kandala, Alipur etc. including the Aerocity, which is a gateway to Chandigarh International Airport.

Tricity

Mohali and Panchkula (adjoining Chandigarh to its East and in Haryana) are two satellite cities of Chandigarh. The trio of these three cities is collectively known as Chandigarh Tricity. Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula District, Haryana, India. The Union Territory of Chandigarh along with its two satellite cities - Panchkula and Mohali - is collectively called as the Chandigarh Tricity.[14]

The PUDA Bhawan official headquarters of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority,[15] initiated by KBS Sidhu, an IAS officer, signifies the towering role of PUDA vis-a-vis Ajitgarh. Now, PUDA's functions of planning and urban development have been transferred to the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). Earlier, the DC of Ajitgarh served as its Chief Administrator. Now a separate and full-time IAS officer has been appointed to the post.

Climate

Clouds and downpour at Godrej, Mohali during Mid-April (2015)
Godrej Mohali clean skies

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar has a sub-tropical continental monsoon climate characterized by a seasonal rhythm: hot summers, slightly cold winters, unreliable rainfall and great variation in temperature (−1 to 44 °C or 30 to 111 °F). In winter, frost sometimes occurs during December and January. The average annual rainfall is recorded at 617 millimetres (24.3 in). The city also receives occasional winter rains from the west.

Average temperature

  • Summer: The temperature in summer may rise to a maximum of 47 °C (117 °F) @2014. Temperatures generally remain between 30 and 40 °C (86 and 104 °F).
  • Autumn: In autumn, the temperature may rise to a maximum of 36 °C (97 °F). Temperatures usually remain between 16 and 27 °C (61 and 81 °F) in autumn. The minimum temperature is around 13 °C (55 °F).
  • Winter: Average temperatures in winter (November to February) remain at (maximum) 7 to 15 °C (45 to 59 °F) and (minimum) 1 and 5 °C (34 and 41 °F).
  • Spring: spring temperatures vary between (min) 16 and 25 °C (61 and 77 °F) (max).

Demographics

As per 2011 census Mohali's urban agglomeration (Metropolitan area) had a population of 176,170, out of which males were 92,301 and females were 83,869. The literacy rate was 91.96% per cent.[16] The sex ratio of Mohali is 909 females per 1000 males.

Sikhism is the majority religion in Mohali which is followed by 51.53% of the people. Hinduism is the second most followed religion which is adhered by 45.55% of the people.[17] Minorities are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains.

Religion in Mohali (2011)[17]
Religion Percent
Sikhism
 
 51.53%
Hinduism
 
 45.55%
Islam
 
 1.68%
Christianity
 
 0.79%
Others
 
 0.45%

Politics and government

District court complex, Mohali, Punjab, India

The Deputy Commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is the overall in-charge of the General Administration in the Districts of India. Currently Gurpreet Kaur Sapra is serving as Deputy Commissioner. The civic administration in Mohali under Municipal Corporation(established 1984), a body of elected councilors and is headed by a Commissioner chosen from the elected members.

City officials
Mayor Kulwant Singh August, 2015
Municipal Commissioner

mr Dhiman
Administrator

mr Dhiman

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is a Municipal Corporation, with Kulwant Singh as the first Mayor since August 2015.[1] The district administration is under the supervision of Current Administrator Gurpreet Kaur Sapra, Deputy Commissioner (IAS). Ajitgarh is part of Anandpur Sahib Parliamentary Constituency, currently represented by Prem Singh Chandumajra while in Punjab Legislative Assembly, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is represented since 2012 by MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu from Congress. Prior to 2012, Ajitgarh was part of the Kharar Assembly Constituency. In the 2012 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, a new Assembly Constituency was carved out in the name of Mohali (as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar was known during Assembly Elections 2012). Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is also represented in Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) by Paramjit Kaur Landran and Hardeep Singh. The seat was reserved for women during 2011 SGPC Elections.

Transport

Road transport

The main bus stand of city is located in Sector 62 (Phase 8), where many private bus operators provide services within different cities of the state. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) provides bus connectivity with the rest of the Tricity. C&C Mohali Junction[18] is an integrated Project: Mall with 10 Screen Multiplex, Corporate Offices, Hotel Hyatt Place & India’s 1st Air Conditioned Inter State Bus terminus all under 1 Roof .There will be automatic footfalls for the Mall as there would be 60,000 people per day from the ISBT alone besides the footfalls from Corporate offices, the Hotel and the Mall itself. Entertainment will be at its best with 10 Screen VIP Multiplex by Cinépolis & Play Areas. Also with Multi-Level Fully Automated Car Parking. The business Hotel will be The Hyatt Place with 150 Rooms, Roof top Swimming Pool, Spa and Restaurant. This will be tallest building in the region with a helipad, 100% power back-up, internet & Wi-Fi facilities.

Auto-rickshaws ply throughout the city.

Rail transport

Mohali Railway Station is situated in Industrial Area, Phase 9 and connects the city with several important locations in the region such as Delhi, Ludhiana and Amritsar, as well as other parts of the country.

Air transport

The Terminal of Chandigarh International Airport is located in Mohali. Domestic flights are available to Ahemdabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Mumbai,Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kullu, Leh, Pune Shimla and Srinagar. International flights are available to Bangkok, Dubai and Sharjah. There are some new purposed flights in upcoming summer schedule to Indore and Kolkata.

Economy

Quark, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar

There are many state-local companies like PTL (Punjab Tractor Limited), ICI Paints, Punjab Communications Limited, Telecom Service Providers like Tata Communications and Vodafone and the Godrej Group, its reputation as a home for large, multinational corporations is growing. Global tech giants like Quark, and Philips have followed.

Denver-based Quark, Inc. has created the $500M, 46-acre (190,000 m2) QuarkCity in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, complete with a residential complex comprising 30% of the 'city'; the shopping, entertainment, medical, and educational district consume another 10%. It is expected to generate 25,000 direct, and 100,000 indirect jobs.

QuarkCity is a 51-acre (210,000 m2), multi-use development city that includes a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). QuarkCity is located in the district, 265 km (165 mi) north of India’s capital city of New Delhi.[19]

Sports

Mohali is going to emerge as the sports hub town of Punjab having around 8 multipurpose complexes equipped with facilities for sports including Swimming, Table Tennis, Athletics, Volleyball, Badminton, Tennis etc. It already has the International Cricket and Hockey Stadium.

Cricket

A panorama of the stadium.

In 1990, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) unveiled a plan to build a state-of-the-art facility complete with a separate practise ground—to be built in a swampy area in the city. The PCA invested heavily in the ground, a swimming pool, health club, tennis court, library, restaurant, and bar and outdoor & indoor cricket practice nets were incorporated into the plans.

The construction of the stadium took around INR 25 crore and 3 years to complete. The stadium has an official capacity of 30000 spectators. The stadium was designed by Arun Loomba and Associates, Panchkula and constructed by R.S. Construction Company, Chandigarh. The lights here are unconventional compared to other cricket stadiums, in that the light pillars are very low in height. This is to avoid aircraft from the nearby airport colliding with the light pillars. The stream passing through the central part of Chandigarh, called N Choe, also passes alongside the stadium.

PCA stadium is home of Kings XI Punjab (IPL Mohali franchisee). The current pitch curator for the PCA Stadium is Daljit Singh and the design consultant is Ar. Sufyan Ahmad.

Hockey

The city has the International Hockey Stadium which serves as the home ground for the hockey club, Punjab Warriors, of Hockey India League.

Places of interest

Places of tourist interest in and around this region include the following:

Religious places

Gurudwara Amb Sahib

Gurudwara Amb Sahib

Gurudwara Amb Sahib is a historical shrine situated in Sector 62, Mohali commemorates visit of 7th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Har Rai. The place also commemorates meeting of Guru Har Rai with his famous Sikh Bhai Kuram, a Labana trader.[7][21] This shrine is managed by SGPC, Amritsar.

Shiv Mandir

Shiv Mandir, Phase 1, Mohali

This is the old Hindu Temple situated in Phase 1, Mohali and has a unique following. Many illiterate people believe that wishes of people come true if you visit the temple with a pure heart.[22]

Gurudwara Singh Shaheedan

This shrine is situated in village Sohana, close to Sector 70 constructed in memory of the martyrdom of Jathedar Baba Hanuman Singh, a Nihang Jathedar. He, along with 500 Sikhs, attained martyrdom at this place in a battle against British forces during the Anglo-Sikh Wars.

Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan, Sohana, Punjab

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

This is the Hindu Temple situated in Phase 11, Mohali.

Parks and gardens

  • Rose Garden, Phase 3B2
  • Bougainvillea Garden, Phase 4
  • Silvy Park, Phase 10
  • Valley Park, Phase 8
  • Ekta Park, Phase 7 (Near Chawla Chowk) Mohali
  • Musical Fountain Park, Sector 70
  • City park, sector 68

Markets and other places

  • Main Market, Phase - 7, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 4, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Market
  • Main Market, Phase - 3, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 1, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
  • Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
  • International Hockey Stadium, Phase-9
  • Gurudwara Amb Sahib, Phase - 8

Other Nearby Places

Education

Universities
Science
Engineering colleges
Business Schools
Law Schools
Pharmacy

Healthcare

The city has a number of speciality hospitals. Government dispensaries also are present in some sectors. Government Hospital Of Phase-6 is oldest Hospital of the city.

The city has many multi-facility private hospitals like the Max Super Speciality Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Silver Oak Hospital, Ivy Hospital, Indus Super Speciality Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Cheema Medical Complex, Mukat Hospital and Heart institute, Cosmo Hospital, Amar Hospital, Grecian Super Speciality Hospital, Sohana Hospital, Ace Heart and Vascular Institute, SGHS Hospitals, AM Hospital, ESI Hospital & Regional Spinal Injury Center (Sector 70). Big pharmacy stores like City Medicos are situated near Fortis and Silver Oaks hospital where one can get all the medicines.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 India (1 September 2015). "Mohali's first mayor: Kulwant Singh takes charge, promises bus service, transparency". The Indian Express.
  2. ↑

    Gurpreet kaur Sapra is the new Mohali DC

    http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/governance/gurpreet-sapra-is-new-mohali-dc/378278.html
  3. ↑ Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is still known as Mohali to most Indians: Retrieved from ibnlive: Nov 04, 2014
  4. ↑ http://worldtradecenterinmohali.in/location-map/. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "Historical Background of Chandigarh" (PDF). Government of Chandigarh.
  6. ↑ Village Leadership: A Case Study of Village Mohali in Punjab: Harjindar Singh; Sterling Publishers, 1968
  7. 1 2 Retrieved from Gurdwara Amb Sahib Archived 21 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine. history
  8. ↑ "Chandigarh history". City Beautiful. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Chandigarh History". Chandigarh Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "About Chandigarh". Government of Chandigarh. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Displaced for making Chandigarh, their marginalization is still on". The Times of India. 12 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Corb's Capitol: a journey through Chandigarh's architecture: Sangeet Sharma: A3 foundation, Sep 26, 2010
  13. ↑ Approved Master Plans: S.A.S Nagar: Retrieved from SAS Nagar Master plan from Official Website
  14. ↑ "Municipal Corporation Mohali".
  15. ↑ Retrieved from official website of PUDA, Mohali
  16. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  17. 1 2 Mohali City Census 2011 data
  18. ↑ "mohali junction". Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "the finest, most energy-efficient SEZ development in India". QuarkCity. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  20. ↑ "Down memory lane". India Today. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  21. ↑ Discover Punjab: Attractions of Punjab, Parminder Singh Grover Moga, Davinderjit Singh and Parminder Singh Grover,
  22. ↑ Ixigo https://www.ixigo.com/shri-shiv-mandir-mohali-india-ne-1273956. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ↑ Tripathi, Shishir (1 August 2013). "Tricity's biggest mall coming up in Mohali". The Indian Express.
  24. ↑ "Nabha Sahib Gurdwara - Chandigarh Nadha Sahib Gurdwara - Gurudwara Nabha Sahib Near Chandigarh". Chandigarh.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
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