Chandigarh needs to show the way!

Vivek Atray

It is a sign of our times that everyone is competing with everyone else, and with feverish fervour. Students, young professionals, CEOs, and even grandfathers, are trying to surge ahead of the pack. No one wants to be placed second; everyone aspires to come out trumps, to be on top of the ladder.

States and cities, too, have joined the competitive bandwagon. Attracting investment and tourists has become a priority for most states and even cities have followed suit in promoting themselves aggressively. Thus not only do chief ministers act as ambassadors for their states in trying to attract the industry, city bigwigs have also  started adopting the same policy.

Chandigarh enjoys a unique status as a union territory which consists mainly of one city. Thus, not only does administering it becomes a simpler task, but also promoting it. And Chandigarh has achieved remarkable success over the years, in becoming a favoured destination for investment, especially in the IT sector, and also as a tourist attraction now. The fact that New York Times recently listed our City Beautiful amongst the top 52 global destinations to visit in 2018, is no mean feat.

There was a time when some of us officially began promoting the city and were initially met not only by resistance but even by scoffing put-downers. Those early years of effort bore fruit, however, and today, Chandigarh has been globally recognised as a remarkable city in many ways.

Although the number of vehicles on its roads has increased alarmingly, the quality of life that Chandigarh residents enjoy even today is unparalleled in India. Employees arrive at their work places relatively fresh from their transit journeys and going home for lunch is still a possibility in the tricity area. We are not beset with most of the smoggy problems that afflict major cities like New Delhi.

This also means that Chandigarh can experiment with the future and be the leader rather than merely competing with the rest of the country. With unique facets like the Rock Garden and world class sporting arenas for golf, tennis and cricket, Chandigarh is already a path-breaker in some ways. It is now time for Chandigarh to adopt best practices from across the world and lay down benchmark for the rest of India. Showcasing top class infrastructure should not be the only priority though. Adopting healthy societal trends and taking fresh people-related initiatives is even more necessary.

Caring for the elderly, since a considerable number of them live here, is one such area to focus upon. We should evolve a mechanism whereby all elderly people, especially those living alone, should be well networked and their well-being monitored meticulously. Their health needs and social interaction needs should be taken up on priority basis by non-government organisations (NGOs), with the support of the administration.

Another initiative can be to encourage the general populace to be more tourist-friendly as is done in countries like Singapore. Why should foreign tourists feel clueless and helpless, in the absence of an adequate number of professional guides and tourism volunteers? There are several voluntary groups who would gladly jump into the fray for this purpose, if someone can coordinate with them. A soft skills training programme for taxi drivers and the staff of small hotels, where many tourists stay, are also essential.

In the fields of school education, health care and e-governance, Chandigarh is already a national champion. There are many other realms of human endeavour in which India’s best city could also be the flag-bearer. All of them cannot be brought up in a column of this size, but from creating quality habitat for the poor, to issuing city access cards which are valid across locations, there are several other ideas which could also be contemplated.

Chandigarh has what it takes to not only be a destination of prominence in 2018, but also a national leader among cities and towns. 

The time is now!

(Vivek Atray is a motivational speaker and former IAS officer)