Malls lend Mohali a new look; no end to traffic woes

The year 2024 saw a lot happening in Mohali. Here is a look at happenings, developments and controversies that made headlines throughout the year.

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As convenient as they are flashy, malls have carved out a space for themselves in hearts of local residents and the year 2024 was crucial in that aspect. With a couple of new malls opening in the city this year, their number has gone up to seven — CP-67; Mohali Walk, Sector 62; Jubilee Walk, Sector 70; Downtown Mohali, Phase-7; Nirwana Square One; Bestech Mall; and VR Punjab.

To top it all off, the Ruia Group (Phoenix Malls) clinching a 6.64-acre commercial site in Sector 62 with the highest-ever bid for ?527.11 crore set the real estate circle abuzz. The countdown for another mall has thus begun for the city.

The other big development in the real estate sector, as far as the city is concerned, was the death of Pearl Group chairman Nirmal Singh Bhangoo. Accused of duping 5.5 crore investors in the Rs 45,000-crore chit fund scam, Bhangoo passed away in Delhi, complicating the litigation process for investors.

With the city drawing big investments, the influx of people has also grown. And it called for an improve city surveillance and traffic management plan.

The administration has responded with its plans to streamline the management, beginning with the use of more than 400 CCTV cameras to keep an eye on city roads for traffic offenders and anti-social elements.

The traffic police are expected to start online challan drives, akin to Chandigarh, this year.

Stalled road infra also got a fillip this year, with Rs 1,951cr being disbursed to 6,650 landowners in the district for the 588.70 hectares of land acquired for seven key projects of national importance.

The land has been finally been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Notably, of the 29 ongoing national highway projects in the state, seven are in Mohali district.

The IT City-Kurali Greenfield Corridor, Ambala-Chandigarh Greenfield Corridor, Mohali-Sirhind-Sehna Greenfield Corridor, Ambala Kala Amb, Ludhiana-Rupnagar, Zirakpur Bypass, Ambala Ring Road projects have more or less been cleared for hassle-free development.

Civil, electrical work, including state-of-the-art station building, new platform shelters, waiting halls, passenger-friendly signages, improvement in platform surface, parking and circulating area, and Divyangjan-friendly-toilets, were among the Rs 10-crore improvements.

Medicare facilities were also added, with 19 new Aam Aadmi Clinics (offering 80 types of medicines and 38 tests free of costs) taking the district’s overall count to 33. In other advancements in the healthcare sector, a 100-crore Centre of Excellence for Anti-Viral and Anti-Bacterial Drug Discovery and Development at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research was inaugurated on October 29.

A big upgrade for SCL

The government has also laid out a Rs 10,000-crore plan to upgrade Mohali’s Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), the country’s first chip fabrication unit. It will comprise an upgrade of the existing 180 nanometre fabrication line.

On August 17, ISRO’s launch of Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-08) onboard the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) has indigenously designed and fabricated devices from SCL.

11 encounters & counting

Amid all the upgrades and new additions, the law-and-order situation was once that remained on tenterhooks despite the police taking a tough stance against gangsters and anti-social elements.

As many as 11 encounters (December 13, 2023 onwards) have rocked Mohali as the district police, the Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and the State Special Operating Cell (SSOC) answered fire with fire. The prima donna in majority of these encounters was DSP Gursher Singh who, along with six other cops, is now under the scanner for jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s TV interview in police custody at CIA Kharar in March 2023.

Controversy also erupted at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport on June 6 afternoon when actor Kangana Ranaut, on her way to Delhi after winning her first Lok Sabha election from Mandi, was reportedly slapped by a CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur in the security check area. Kaur was apparently angry over Kangana’s remark on farmer protesters back in 2020. She was booked by the Mohali police and later transferred to Bengaluru.

Civic management mess

The district also saw four commercial, residential building collapse due to unauthorised digging in their vicinity. Precious lives were lost but the Municipal Corporation and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) officials were hardly held accountable.

Mechanical sweeping of city’s A and B road finally began after much trials and tribulations. However, the civic body was in a mess throughout the year with no permanent solution for garbage disposal. Heaps of garbage continue to dot the city as the MC and GMADA play the blame game.

Little also changed for the residents of Zirakpur, who still find themselves stuck in traffic jams lasting hours. The NHAI could not complete the Singhpura Flyover this year, while work is also set to begin for Bhankharpur Flyover, hinting at continued chaos.

Other parts of Mohali too continued to be a battleground for protesters all year round. Farmers’ protest at YPS chowk, the stir of unemployed teachers outside PSEB office, powermen’s protest in Kharar, veterinary doctors’ agitation at the Livestock Bhawan, paramedical staff protest outside district hospitals made life a living nightmare for residents even as the government seemingly remained disinterested in finding a solution to most stalemates.

Lastly, a new disturbing trend of clashes between local and migrant population also emerged as the year progressed. Jandpur, Kumbhra, Mundho Sangatian, a village near Kurali, saw incidents of vigilantism, resolutions and diktats by locals targeted at migrant population, laying bare the fault lines.