Mohali

Mohali
ਮੋਹਾਲੀ
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
City

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
Named for Sahibzada Ajit Singh
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Body Municipal Corporation Mohali
 • Mayor Kulwant Singh [1]
 • Deputy Commissioner TPS Sidhu[2]
Elevation 316 m (1,037 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 176,152
Languages
 • Official Punjabi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Telephone code +91-172-XXXXXXX
Vehicle registration PB-65
Website http://mcmohali.org/

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (SAS Nagar), officially and commonly known as Mohali, is a city which is a commercial hub lying adjacent to the city of Chandigarh in Punjab, India. It is administrative headquarters of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar District. It was officially named after Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh as SAS Nagar ("City of Sahibzada Ajit Singh"). It is still known and popular, as Mohali among local people and other parts of India.[3]

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 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 settling of humans began. So, about 8000 years ago, the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans.[4]

Medieval history

Mohali is name of village which means settlement and was inhabited by Rajputs, popularly known as Mohali of Rajputan. The village was later won over by the Sikhs and was part of Sikh Empire.[5]

The village Lambian located in city, was visited by Guru Har Rai, 7th Guru of Sikhs.[6] A historical battle also took place between British and 500 Sikhs commanded under 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 Hindu) east Punjab in India and (mostly Muslim) west Punjab in Pakistan.[7] The Indian Punjab required a new capital city to replace Lahore, which became part of Pakistan during the partition.[8][9] So, the government carved out Chandigarh of nearly 50 Pwadhi speaking villages of the then state of East Punjab, India.[10]

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 residetial area to meet housing demands.[11] The township plan for Mohali was put forward by All India Congress Committee during annual session held in 1975 at Mohali. Then, it was renamed Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar.

City design

Mohali and Chandigarh are contiguous areas with only the boundary of Punjab and UT of Chandigarh dividing this area. The original plan of Mohali is in fact a mere extension of the road and 800 by 1200 Mt. sector design system of Chandigarh without any unique planning. First 11 sectors in Mohali are popularly known as Phases. The development earlier 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 [12] like Thaska, Manana, Tapauli, Behlol, Sihanpur, Jandpur, Daun, Bar Majra, Balongi, Ballo Majra, Desumajra, Chajju Majra, Harlalpur, Jhungian, Chaparchiri, Santemajra, Kailon, Landran, Bhago Majra, Raipur Kalan, Bairampur, Manakmajra, Sukhgarh, Sambalki, Saneta, Bathlana, Pattlin, Kurari, Siaun, Kishanpura, Naraingarh, Matran, Bari, Dyalpur, Shafipur, Landiali, Jheureri, Kandala, Alipur etc.

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.[13]

The iconic PUDA Bhawan official headquarters of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority,[14] 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.

 Kharar, Punjab Baddi, Himachal Pradesh Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh
Sirhind, Punjab Chandigarh
   Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar  
Rajpura, Punjab Banur, Punjab Chandigarh

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

Demographics

As per 2011 census Mohali's urban agglomeration had a population of 176,152, out of which males were 92,407 and females were 83,745. The literacy rate was 93.04 per cent.[15] The sex ratio of Mohali is 906 females over 1000 males.

Mohali is a Sikh majority city.

Religion in Mohali[16]
Religion Percent
Sikhism
  
 51.53%
Hinduism
  
 45.55%
Islam
  
 1.68%
Christianity
  
 0.79%
Others
  
 0.45%

Politics and government

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 Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu 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 Uma Shankar Gupta
Administrator Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is a Municipal Corporation, with Kulwant Singh as the first Mayor since August 2015.[1] District administration is looking after the matters under the supervision of Current Administrator Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu, 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 2012 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, 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 state. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) provides bus connectivity with the rest of the Tricity. C&C Mohali Junction[17] 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 Facility.

Auto-rickshaws ply throughout the city.

Rail transport

Mohali Railway Station is present in Industrial Area, Phase 9 which has two platforms and connects the city with several important locations in the region such as Delhi, Ludhiana, Amritsar and even other parts of the country.

Air transport

Mohali has its own International airport, which is extension of The Chandigarh International Airport.[18]

Economy

Quark, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar

There are many state-local companies like PTL (Punjab Tractor Limited), ICI Paints, 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 sports complexes equipped with facilities includes Swimming, Table Tennis, Athletics, Volleyball, Badminton, Tennis etc. It already have International Cricket and Hockey Stadium.

Cricket

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

Places of interest

Gurudwara Amb Sahib

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

Religious places

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.[6][20] This shrine is managed by SGPC, Amritsar.

Gurudwara Mata Sundri

Gurdwara Mata Sunder Kaur is another historical Sikh Shrine situated in Sector 70, Mohali. It commemorates visit of Mata Sundri, along with Baba Deep Singh and Bhai Mani Singh. This shrine is managed by Buddha Dal.

Gurudwara Singh Shaheedan - Sohana

This shrine is situated in village Sohana, close to Sector 70 constructed in memory of 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 Anglo-Sikh Wars.

Architecture

Fateh Burj

Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial at Ajitgarh, Punjab

The Fateh Burj (English: The Victory Tower; Punjabi: ਫਤਿਹ ਬੁਰਜ) is the tallest victory tower in the city of Mohali, Punjab, India.[21] The 328 ft tower is dedicated to establishment of the Sikh rule in India in 1711.[22] It is also known as Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial.

Parks and gardens

Markets and other places

Other Nearby Places

Education

Yadavindra Public School

There are number of educational institutes including Schools, Colleges and Universities in Ajitgarh city and district. Following is list of some:

Indian School of Business, Ajitgarh

Healthcare

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

The city have many multi facility private hospitals like Max Super Speciality Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Silver Oak Hospital, Ivy Hospital, Indus Super Speciality 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. ↑ "

    TPS Sidhu is SAS Nagar DC

    "    . http://www.hindustantimes.com/. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2015.     External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is still known as Mohali to most Indians: Retrieved from ibnlive: Nov 04, 2014
  4. ↑ "Historical Background of Chandigarh" (PDF). Government of Chandigarh. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ Village Leadership: A Case Study of Village Mohali in Punjab: Harjindar Singh; Sterling Publishers, 1968
  6. 1 2 Retrieved from Gurdwara Amb Sahib history
  7. ↑ "Chandigarh history". City Beautiful. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Chandigarh History". Chandigarh Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "About Chandigarh". Government of Chandigarh. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Displaced for making Chandigarh, their marginalization is still on". The Times of India. 12 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Corb's Capitol: a journey through Chandigarh's architecture: Sangeet Sharma: A3 foundation, Sep 26, 2010
  12. ↑ Approved Master Plans: S.A.S Nagar: Retrieved from SAS Nagar Master plan from Official Website
  13. ↑ http://mcmohali.org/
  14. ↑ Retrieved from official website of PUDA, Mohali
  15. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  16. ↑ http://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/19-mohali.html
  17. ↑ "mohali junction".
  18. ↑ International flights from Mohali airport soon: Retrieved from The Tribune: Jan 22 2015
  19. ↑ "the finest, most energy-efficient SEZ development in India". QuarkCity. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  20. ↑ Discover Punjab: Attractions of Punjab, Parminder Singh Grover Moga, Davinderjit Singh and Parminder Singh Grover,
  21. ↑ "Badal inaugurates tallest victory tower". MSN. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  22. ↑ Bajwa, Harpreet (1 December 2011). "Fateh Burj, India’s tallest victory tower, thrown open". Indian Express. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  23. ↑ Tripathi, Shishir (1 August 2013). "Tricity’s biggest mall coming up in Mohali". The Indian Express.
  24. ↑ "Nabha Sahib Gurdwara - Chandigarh Nabha Sahib Gurdwara - Gurudwara Nabha Sahib Near Chandigarh". Chandigarh.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  25. ↑ "Indian Institute of Science Education and Research MOHALI". Iisermohali.ac.in. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  26. ↑ "Army Institute of Law". Army Institute of Law. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  27. ↑ "CMC - Your IT Partner". Cmcltd.com. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  28. ↑ "matasahibkaurcollegeofnursing.org". matasahibkaurcollegeofnursing.org. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Be a Part of North India's No. 1 Educational Group - Chandigarh Group of Colleges". cgc.edu.in. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  30. ↑ "Chandigarh Engineering College". cecmohali.org. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  31. ↑ "Punjab Group of Colleges". pgc.edu.in. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  32. ↑ "Top MCA colleges in Chandigarh - Management Institutes in chandigarh - SAS institute Mohali". Sasiitmohali.com. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  33. ↑ "C-DAC Mohali". cdacmohali.in. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  34. ↑ "The British School". The British School. Retrieved 2013-10-19.

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