Mohali

Mohali, officially known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, is a planned city[3] in the Mohali district in Punjab, India, which is a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Mohali 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.

Mohali

Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar
City
Mohali
Mohali
Coordinates: 30.78°N 76.69°E / 30.78; 76.69
Country India
StatePunjab
DistrictMohali district
Established1 November 1966
Named forSahibzada Ajit Singh
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • BodyMunicipal Corporation
 • MayorKulwant Singh [1]
 • Deputy CommissionerGirish Dayalan, IAS[2]
Elevation
316 m (1,037 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • City
146,213
 • Metro
176,170
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Pincode(s)
140XXX - 160XXX
Area code(s)+91 172
Vehicle registrationPB-65
Sex ratio0.911 males/female (City)
Literacy91.96% (City)
91.86% (Metro)
GDP₹6,500 crore (US$ 1.3 bn) in 2009-10
Websitehttp://mcmohali.org/

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.[4] Special emphasis has been made by the state government to make this city the best place to live in Punjab. The city also has many international sporting venues consisting of a cricket stadium, hockey stadium, indoor stadiums, and a golf course. Mohali also has international connectivity from the co-located Chandigarh International Airport.

Mohali was earlier a part of the Rupnagar District and was carved out and made a part of 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 the 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 means settlement. The village of Mohali was a part of the Sikh Empire.[6]

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

Modern history

After the partition of India in 1947, the former British province of Punjab was split between east Punjab in India and 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 made Chandigarh from nearly 50 Puadhi 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, the area around Mohali Village was initially developed as an industrial estate; this was broadened with residential areas to meet housing demands.[12] The township plan for Mohali was put forward by the All India Congress Committee during the annual session held in 1975 at Mohali. On 1 November 1975, Punjab Chief Minister Giani Zail Singh laid the foundation stone of Mohali township and named it Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar.

City design

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

The first 11 sectors of the sector design system for 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 of Chandigarh are shared between Chandigarh and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, like the sectors 48, 51, 52, 54 and 56 onward - all these actually fall in the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar region.

The region has been targeted by an increasing number of outsourcing IT companies, who look to capitalise on the rich investment opportunities the city offers.[4]

Greater Mohali Area Development Authority master plan

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

Tricity

Mohali and Panchkula are two satellite cities of Chandigarh. The trio of these three cities is collectively known as Chandigarh Tricity. Panchkula is a planned city adjoining Chandigarh in Panchkula District, Haryana, India.[14]

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 characterised 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) . 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.[15] 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 to by 45.55% of the people. Minority religions like Islam and Christianity are followed by 1.68% and 0.79% of the population, with 0.45% are Buddhists, Jains and others.[16]

Religion in Mohali (2011)[16]
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, Girish Dayalan is serving as Deputy Commissioner. The civic administration in Mohali under Municipal Corporation (established 1984), a body of elected councillors 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). Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is part of Anandpur Sahib Parliamentary Constituency, represented by Manish Tewari since 2019, while in Punjab Legislative Assembly, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar is represented since 2012 by MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu from Congress. Prior to 2012, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar 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 the 2011 SGPC Elections.

Transport

Road

The main bus stand of this city is located in Sector 56, 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[17] is an integrated project: a mall with 10 Screen Multiplexes, corporate offices, Hotel Hyatt Place & Inter-State Bus terminus.There will be automatic footfalls for the Mall as there would be 60,000 people per day from the ISBT alone beside 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, Rooftop Swimming Pool, Spa, and Restaurant. This will be the tallest building in the region with a helipad, 100% power back-up, internet & Wi-Fi facilities.

Auto-rickshaws ply throughout the city.

Rail

Mohali Railway Station is situated in Industrial Area, Phase 11 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

Chandigarh International Airport is also known as Mohali International Airport and is located near Aerocity in Mohali. It has both domestic and international flights.

Economy
Quark, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar

There are many companies in SAS Nagar, like Punjab Tractor Limited (PTL), ICI Paints, Punjab Communications Limited, many telecom service providers like Tata Communications and Vodafone and the Godrej Group. SAS Nagar's reputation as a home to large, multinational corporations is growing. Global tech giants like Quark and Philips have also followed suit.

Denver-based Quark, Inc. has created a $500M, 46-acre (190,000 m2) QuarkCity in SAS Nagar, complete with a residential complex comprising 30% of the area; the shopping, entertainment, medical and educational districts consume another 10%. It was designed to generate 25,000 direct and 100,000 indirect jobs. It also includes a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). It is located 265 km (165 mi) north of India's capital city of New Delhi.[18]

Sports

Mohali has emerged as the sports hub of Punjab, with 8 multipurpose sports complexes equipped with facilities for sports like field hockey, cricket, swimming, Table Tennis, Athletics, Volleyball, Badminton, Tennis, etc. It has an International Cricket Stadium and another upcoming Mullanpur International Cricket Stadium. It also has the Mohali International Hockey Stadium.

Cricket
Main article: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium
Main article: Mullanpur International Cricket Stadium

[19]

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 ₹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.

Shri Shiv Mandir
Shiv Mandir, Phase 1, Mohali

Shri Shiv Mandir is an old Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, situated in Phase1.[22]

Gurudwara Singh Shaheedan

This shrine is situated in the 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.

Parks and gardens
  • Nature Park, Phase 8
  • 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, SAS Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 4, SAS Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 3, SAS Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 1, SAS Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 5, SAS Nagar
  • Main Market, Phase - 10, SAS Nagar
  • Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, SAS Nagar
  • International Hockey Stadium, Phase-9
  • Gurudwara Amb Sahib, Phase - 8

Other Nearby Places

Education
Universities
Science
Engineering colleges
Business Schools
Law Schools
Pharmacy
  • National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali (NIPER)

Healthcare

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

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See also
  • New Chandigarh

References
  1. India (1 September 2015). "Mohali's first mayor: Kulwant Singh takes charge, promises bus service, transparency". The Indian Express.
  2. "Who's Who | District S.A.S Nagar, Government of Punjab | India". Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. "Capt calls Mohali the state capital, invites investment". hindustantimes.com.
  4. "Mohali as next big IT hub: 'Mohali among top 10 Indian cities in IT' - Times of India". The Times of India.
  5. "Historical Background of Chandigarh" (PDF). Government of Chandigarh.
  6. Village Leadership: A Case Study of Village Mohali in Punjab: Harjinder Singh; Sterling Publishers, 1968
  7. 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, 26 September 2010,
  13. Approved Master Plans: S.A.S Nagar: Retrieved from SAS Nagar Master plan from Official Website
  14. "Municipal Corporation Mohali". mcmohali.org. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  15. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  16. "Religion PCA - Mohali". census.gov.in. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  17. "mohali junction". Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  18. "the finest, most energy-efficient SEZ development in India". QuarkCity. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  19. "This stadium becomes hitech, international match can be organized soon". https://english.newstracklive.com/. External link in |website= (help)
  20. "Down memory lane". India Today. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  21. Discover Punjab: Attractions of Punjab, Parminder Singh Grover Moga, Davinderjit Singh and Parminder Singh Grover,
  22. "Shri Shiv Mandir overview". Ixigo.
  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 29 June 2012.
  • Mohali travel guide from Wikivoyage
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