Chandigarh: Broken pavements, garbage-strewn corners, unchecked vegetation, damaged tiles and corridors taken over by parked two-wheelers are giving Chandigarh’s iconic Sector 17 a distinctly shabby look, a far cry from the ‘pedestrian paradise’ envisioned by its planners and despite the crores spent over the years to revitalise the city centre.The condition is particularly visible in the northern part of Sector 17, where several stretches of pavement are broken or uneven, recently laid tiles have already cracked, and vegetation has been allowed to grow unchecked. Garbage can be seen at multiple spots, adding to the sense of neglect in an area that is supposed to be the heart of Chandigarh.The deterioration is especially ironic given the status accorded to Sector 17 in Chandigarh’s original planning.The ‘heart’ of ChandigarhAccording to the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031, Le Corbusier conceived the city on the analogy of the human body, with the Capitol Complex as its head, Leisure Valley and open spaces as its lungs, and Sector 17’s City Centre as its heart. The sector was designed as a major commercial and civic hub, with four-storey buildings, shopping and office spaces, and wide pedestrian concourses.The Chandigarh Administration’s description of the Edict of Chandigarh states that the central plaza of Sector 17 was designated by Le Corbusier as a “Pedestrians’ Paradise”, where vehicular traffic was not to be permitted.The Master Plan 2031 goes a step further. It proposes activating the northern end of the City Centre, including the plaza in front of the State Library, and calls for stronger pedestrian connectivity, clearly defined walkways and proper landscaping. The document also states that physical impediments to pedestrian movement should be removed.Yet, a walk through the northern stretch today presents almost the opposite picture.From landmark to maintenance headacheSector 17 was not merely another commercial market in the original plan. The Master Plan describes it as the city centre and the heart of Chandigarh’s activities, combining business, shopping, civic and public functions with wide pedestrian spaces.The northern and southern parts also had distinct planning roles, with the northern side envisaged for commercial, business, civic and entertainment activities.That carefully planned pedestrian character is now being undermined by basic maintenance failures. Broken flooring, unmanaged vegetation, litter and indiscriminate parking are creating physical barriers in a space designed around people rather than vehicles.“Revitalisation should not end with laying tiles and landscaping. There has to be regular cleaning, repairs and enforcement,” said another visitor.For Chandigarh, the issue is larger than a few broken pavements or dirty corners. The deteriorating northern part of Sector 17 represents a failure to maintain one of the defining ideas of the city’s original plan: a vibrant, accessible and pedestrian-oriented heart.With the Master Plan itself calling for the northern end to be activated and pedestrian movement to be strengthened, the present condition raises a basic question: after spending crores on revitalising Sector 17, why is the city still struggling to maintain its ‘pedestrian paradise’?Pedestrian space swallowed by vehiclesCorridors meant for pedestrians are increasingly lined with scooters and motorcycles. At several points, visitors have to weave between parked two-wheelers and damaged sections of flooring.“This is supposed to be the heart of Chandigarh, but the condition is disappointing. There is garbage lying around, the pavements are broken, and two-wheelers are parked in the corridors. You don’t feel like you are walking through the city’s premier commercial centre.”Anjali Mehta, a visitor from Sector 21The poor maintenance was difficult to understand given the money spent on the sector’s redevelopment. “Some of these tiles appear to have been laid recently, and they are already broken. If crores are spent on revitalisation, there should also be a system to maintain what has been created,”Naresh Chugh, a visitor from Sector 16
