Plans afoot to make Sec 17 Plaza no-vehicle zone

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 11

The Sector 17 Plaza will become a walkers’ paradise as the UT Administration has started the implementation of a plan to revitalise the heart of the city.

Under the plan, no vehicle will be allowed in the Sector 17 Plaza and visitors will be provided with golf carts and cycles to travel from one place to another.

Parking of vehicles will be allowed only at designated places outside the Plaza. The parking places or drop points will be at a walking distance from golf cart stands. The carts will run on dedicated tracks for seamless movement within the Plaza.

Cycle tracks and pedestrians’ path will directly connect Sector 17 and the Capitol Complex. People will be able to go directly to the Capitol Complex using the underpass connecting Sector 17 and Rose Garden. The underpass is likely to be opened in the next two months. The cycle track and the pedestrian path will be developed from Rose Garden along Jan Marg up to the Capitol Complex.

Sources said the Sector 17 rejuvenation plan was prepared by a consultant. The consultant has already submitted plans for other projects like Urban Park near the ISBT, new DC office and landscaping.

The UT Administration has also started giving original look to the buildings designed by Le Corbusier.

While the work on the urban park near the bus stand and the underpass connecting Sector 17 and Rose Garden was underway, tenders for the other projects would be floated soon, sources said.

There is also a plan to shift the only residential area in Sector 17 to pave the way for the Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Smart City.

The plan has been prepared with an aim to develop Sector 17 as a hub where residents of the city and nearby areas and tourists can come and enjoy recreational activities.

ENGRAVED CITY MAP IN FRONT OF NEELAM THEATRE

• An engraved map of the City Beautiful will come up in front of Neelam Theatre
• The Engineering Department has issued the Rs 2-crore tender in this connection
• It will be the biggest map of the city and will rejuvenate the main part of the Plaza 
• It will illuminate at night. The map will serve as a guide for tourists
• The map will give tourists an idea of the city while walking at the Sector 17 Plaza

Cart connectivity

• As per the plan, Sector 17 will be connected from all four sides with golf carts
• One can use golf cart to travel from Sector 22 to Madhya Marg via the upcoming Urban Park
• Another route will connect the Rose Garden underpass and Sector 18
• Golf carts will run in both northern and southern parts of the Plaza
• Three underground parkings have also been designed under the plan along the golf cart stands