Facts about Chandigarh – Chandigarh is the first ever planned city in India. It was planned by the French architect Le Corbusier. The city tops the union territories of India and is significant as it has the highest per capita income as compared to other union territories of the country. Being a well-planned city, it has been included in the list of world-renowned cities and for its quality of life. Chandigarh is a prestigious city as it is the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana. Today, it is recognized as a city of modern India.

Historical Facts of Chandigarh

The history of the place dates back to 8000 years when it was first inhabited by the Harappans, who are known to be among the earliest civilizations.

It was a prosperous place during medieval times and a part of the Punjab Province. After independence from British rule, Punjab was divided into West and East Punjab in 1947.

After partition, East Punjab did not have a capital as Lahore was given to Pakistan. Therefore, Chandigarh was planned in order to give Punjab a capital.

So, at the foothills of the Shivalik, the location was sought out for Chandigarh. The city was built under the orders of prominent officers and the Prime Minister of India.

But there were many hurdles before the actual city came up. A committee was set up to choose a good site for the city.

The place was chosen after considering various aspects like climatic conditions, military vulnerability, water provision, etc.

After the formation of Haryana, both the states wanted a capital. So, Chandigarh, due to the proximity and the significance that it had achieved, became the capital of both the states.

Government of Chandigarh

Chandigarh serves as a capital of Haryana and Punjab, which is why it is administered separately. It is recognized as a union territory of India. The head of its administration is the Governor who is also known as the Administrator and is appointed by the President of India. He is vested with most of the executive powers. The administration is under the home ministry of India.

The union territory has its own parliamentary constituency and covers the entire Chandigarh. It is the legislative assembly of Haryana and Punjab states as well.

Various bodies have been created to look after the different sectors of administration like education, social welfare, vigilance, environment, housing, animal husbandry, excise and taxation, health, food and Supplier and urban planning.

Chandigarh is under the Ministry of Home Affairs. In the position on the Advisory, a senior officer belonging to the IAS service is the second in command. The officer belongs to the AGMU cadre of IAS. The Deputy Commissioner belongs to the IAS and controls the general administration of the union territory. The Senior Superintendent of Police or the IPS control the law and order here.

There are various political parties in Chandigarh that look after the governance and politics of the city. The Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are some of the political parties.

State Symbols of Chandigarh

Famous Personalities of Chandigarh

 Manmohan Singh is the only Prime Minister of India, after Jawaharlal Nehru to complete two consecutive terms of five years as PM. He is Indian Congress Party’s 7th Prime Ministerial candidate till now.

• Yuvraj Singh is the big hitter of Indian cricket and was awarded the man of the series in the prestigious ICC World Cup series of 2011. He is still remembered for the six sixes that he hit in an over.
• Abhinav Bindra, Shooter
• Ayushmann Khurrana, a talented youngster who started off his career as an anchor and VJ on television shows, made his movie debut through the film, Vicky Donor recently and picked up many awards for the same.
• Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, this Maha Vir Chakra Award winner is one of the reputed officers of the Indian Army and played a remarkable role in the Longevala Battle. The movie, “Border” was inspired by this officer’s life and career.
• Gaurav Dhillon, another famous person from Chandigarh, heads the software company that focuses on the application of ventures and integration of data. This company focuses on the integration of various business applications and web services.
• Yami Gautam started off her career on TV, made her movie debut with “Vicky Donor” and she won critical acclaim and many awards for her performance in the movie.
• Milkha Singh, Commonwealth gold medalist. Jeev Milkha Singh is his son.
• Kapil Dev, former Indian international cricketer.
• Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, Founders of Flipkart, Billionaire.
• Sushma Swaraj, politician and Minister of External Affairs of India.
• Sabeer Bhatia, Indian-American Entrepreneur who founded Hotmail.

Some other facts about Chandigarh

Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex was in July 2016 declared by UNESCO as World Heritage at the 40th session of World Heritage Conference held in Istanbul.

• UNESCO inscription was under “The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier an outstanding contribution to the Modern Movement”.
• The Capitol Complex buildings include the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Punjab and Haryana Assembly along with monuments Open hand, Martyrs Memorial, Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadow.
• In 2016, Chandigarh was declared as the second cleanest city of India under Swachh Bharat Survekshan.
• The union territory also heads the list of Indian states and territories according to the Human Development Index.
• In 2015, a survey by LG Electronics ranked Chandigarh as the happiest city in India over the happiness index.
• The metropolitan of Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula collectively form a Tri-city, with a combined population of over 2 million.
• Chandigarh was the dream city of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru.
• Chandigarh is also known to be the first smoke-free city in India.
• In Chandigarh, you would not notice any statue in parks or at the roundabout, a condition of the architect Le Corbusier.
• The city got its name from the famous Chandi Mandir Temple, which is now a famous tourist destination.
• As the city is the base for three governments, most of the people residing there are either working .government officials or retired one. This has given the city the title of ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’.
• Chandigarh is divided into sectors, with each sector enclosed by roads for easy transport yet sealed from direct access to the residential areas.
• Chandigarh is situated under the foot of Shivalik Range, 365 meters. above sea level.
• Le Corbusier conceptualized Chandigarh as analogous to the human body.
• The ‘Head’ being Capitol Complex in Sector 1, ‘Heart being City Centre Sector-17, ‘Lungs’ being the open space and greenery, ‘Circulatory System’ being the 7V’s and ‘Brain’ being the Educational Institutions.

 Trivia

1. Chandigarh city was developed by

2. Chandigarh is the capital city of

3. Name the famous politicians who are hailing from Chandigarh

4. Name the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Chandigarh

5. Chandigarh was the dream city of which prime Minister

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