Mohali MC limits set for expansion

The Local Government Department has issued a draft notification to extend the limits of the Mohali Municipal Corporation and invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders in three weeks. If everything goes according to the plan, the civic body could see a 100% increase in its budget and the area under its jurisdiction, and around 50% jump in population with Aerocity, IT City and almost all developed sectors coming under it.

Officials said Aerocity, IT City, Sectors 81 to 95, Sectors 73-74 (Industrial Area) and Sector 57 were part of the plan. TDI City, Balongi, Badhmajra, Mauli Baidwan, Lakhnaur, Kambali, and several other villages, as of now, find no mention in the Schedule of Boundary.

MC Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu said, “The services to the residents of areas within MC limits will improve and the overall quality of life will also become better. In terms of size, Mohali will then be just behind three top cities of the state — Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar. The civic body’s budget is going to double. Everything from manpower to resources will expand.”

The government move, prodded by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is a bid to provide better civic amenities and facilities to a wider population in and around Mohali.

The MC will earn more through property tax and other charges, but its workload will increase many times.

Private builders providing civic amenities to the flat and plot owners in their townships or society stand to lose a part of their revenue once new MC limits are drawn. The value of properties is likely to go up.

The Congress, BJP and SAD have opposed the move for different reasons.

Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said, “The resolution passed by councillors in 2021 has been junked. The AAP government has imposed boundaries that suited the party. Areas from where it got votes are being brought under the MC while the ones that do not vote for AAP have been excluded arbitrarily.”

Deputy Mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi called it a “half-baked decision”. “TDI and other developed areas have been demanding inclusion for years now, but they have been left out,” he said.

Sandhu said, “The villages left out need some infrastructural development following which they will be included. Ultimately, every area is going to be part of the plan.”

SAD district president Parvinder Singh Sohana termed the Punjab Government’s proposed expansion of the MC limits as anti-people. He demanded that the notification be immediately rescinded and a new proposal be introduced to address the needs of the people of the area.

The opposition parties warned that if the government did not heed the demand of the people, they would move court.

How it pans out

After a formal notification is issued regarding the new MC limits, the next step would be the demarcation of sectors under the MC limits followed by ward restructuring. Later, services such as roads, sanitation and streetlights will be transferred from GMADA and private developers to the civic body. Officials said they hope to complete the exercise before the next MC election in 2026.