HINDUSTAN TIMES, CHA ND I G A RH

WE DNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 hindustantimes 05

htsectorscan SECTOR 2

Of Punjab
CMs and
panthers
CM Partap Singh Kairon was one of the first VIPs
to move into his official residence in Sector 2,
then surrounded by jungles with wild animals as
occasional visitors
Hillary Victor
n hillary.victor@hindustantimes.com

CHANDIGARH: The pace of a city’s develop- SECTOR 2

ment can be gauged from the apprecia- Uttar marg N
tion of its property prices and one of CHANDIGARH
Chandigarh’s plushest zones, Sec- Punjab CM
tor 2, perhaps reflects this best. Residence S
Two to eight-kanal properties,
which now come with pricey
₹25crore to ₹50crore tags, cost
Basket
₹6,000 to ₹10,000 during the ‘50s Vidya path Udyan path
ball park
and ‘60s.
One of the first VIP residents to
move in here was Partap Singh
Kairon, the first chief minister of
Punjab province (then comprising
Punjab, Haryana and Himachal), who Vigyan path
occupied a huge government bungalow
during his tenure from 1956 to 1964.
Surrounded by jungles, the sector had
the occasional panther visiting the area
and jackals kept residents awake at recalls.
night with their howling. Sarabjeet Kaur Sekhon, 61, bought
Everyone knew everyone in the sec- her massive bungalow – with as many as
tor, walking freely across lawns into 32 rooms – in the late ’90s. “Many Punjab
each others’ homes. Kairon too was often ministers had rented out rooms here
seen entertaining visitors in the gardens before we moved in,” she says. Later it
of his residence. was demolished and rebuilt.
Home to the state CM to this day since Despite the posh factor, the residents
Kairon’s tenure and other Cabinet min- have had their share of challenges. Theft
isters, Sector 2 is one of the city’s most and snatching incidents occur fre-
premium zones with properties spread quently. As the sector is located in a low-
across one to eight kanals (one kanal is lying area, parks get inundated when it
equivalent to about 4,500 square feet). rains. Also, with the municipal corpora-
Most of the original property owners tion mandating installation of tertiary
were Jat Sikhs from the Malwa and treated (TT) water connections for
Majha regions. Since many of them were properties of one kanal or
advocates, Kairon encouraged them to more, residents often
move here as the Punjab and Haryana complain of foul-
High Court was close by. Big plots were smelling water. It’s
allocated to them as the Punjab govern- so bad that some-
ment thought they would bring along times even breath-
their domestic animals (read cattle) too! ing is difficult, they
This sleepy sector even today has not say.
caught up with the pan-India population
boom as just 500 people live here, with
only 331 voters among them.
It’s a close-knit community as most of
the families know each other and get
together often. Some families have
moved abroad, leaving caretakers to
look after their properties.
Recounting his experiences of life in
Sector 2, retired justice Ajit Singh Bains,
a sprightly 96 and an avid golfer, says he n A green blanket covers most of the 94 houses in Sector 2, which are spread over 2 to 8 kanals. SANJEEV SHARMA/HT
bought a plot here for ₹6,000 at the age of
38 in 1960. There were just three private
bungalows here then amidst jungles. At
night the whistles from trains passing by
and the howling of jackals kept them
keyvoice
awake. AJIT SINGH BAINS, former high court justice
Amarjit SinghSidhu (80),anadvocate,
had to sell his Fiat to finance a plot,
which then cost him ₹6,000. “My family
was in Bathinda and I wanted to buy
house in Sector 2, against my father’s
‘Bunkers were built in parks during 1971 war’
wishes, so I sold my car in 1962 and Former retired justice Ajit Singh any people around. And now we have istan war in 1971. “Bunkers were dug
bought a plot, building my house in 1963. Bains is a sprightly 96 who moved in a population of 12 lakh,” he says. in our sector, especially in the park,”
No one else wanted to move in here here at the age of 38 from Lucknow in Sector 2, comparatively, is quieter says Bains’s wife, Rashpal Kaur.
because it was a lonely place – and often Uttar Pradesh in 1960. He chose to live and sparsely populated. “We have There were floods too in the same
panthers would stray into the sector in Sector 2 as he was an advocate and only 91 houses here and most of them year as water from a small choe
because of the jungles all around,” he the Punjab and Haryana High Court are vacant as the residents have (spring) nearby overflowed after
says. was close by. moved abroad,” he says. rains.
“A four kanal house in 1955 cost “I bought a two kanal plot at the Recounting some interesting anec- In the absence of buildings and
₹10,000 when my grandfather bought it,” cost of ₹6,000 and built my house – at dotes, he says that when they had just traffic, residents of the Sector would
says Parmarath Singh Grewal (61). that time there were only three pri- moved in there were no gurdwaras go walking to Sukhna Lake and Sec-
“When he opened a grocery shop in Sec- n At 96, Justice vate bungalows here. I became a close by “and we had to visit the gurd- tor 17 to watch movies at Jagat Thea-
tor 11 most of the people from our sector Ajit Singh Bains judge in 1974,” he says. wara in Sector 22.” Sprawling bunga- tre, says Kaur.
used to go to his shop. I remember just is one of the The city, according to Bains, has lows and beautiful flowering trees His favourite spot in the city, says
cycles and scooters being used then. oldest residents completely changed from the time he make it hard to imagine that bunkers Bains, is the Chandigarh Golf Club -
Cars were hardly seen. After 8 pm there of Sector 2. moved in. “Then there were hardly were built here during the India-Pak- where he plays golf to this day.
was complete silence in the area,” he

KNOW YOUR SECTOR

Sector 2 does not have a market, a school or hospital. It also does Who you’ll meet: The VIP residents of the sector include
not have a sub-sector. This is in accordance with the original city
plan proposed by the first planner of Chandigarh, Albert Mayer

Total population Total voters

500 SOURCE: CENSUS 2011

331 Property
prices
Figures that matter Range from ₹25
n Total bungalows: 92, including 14 Initial costs of plots in 1955 crore to ₹50 crore,
houses of Punjab ministers and that MANPREET BADAL CHARANJIT SINGH NAVJOT SIDHU BRAHM MOHINDRA RANA K P SINGH depending on the
of the Punjab chief minister
n Construction of ministers’
1 kanal
₹4,000 Punjab Finance minister
Manpreet Badal, nephew
CHANNI
If there is one minister
The cricketer-turned-
comedian is the loudest
The diminutive health
minister from the
The Speaker of Punjab
Assembly, the dapper
size of the house

bungalows began in the late ’50s

n Construction of private bungalows
2 kanal
₹6,000 of former chief minister
Parkash Singh Badal, is
who swears by
astrologers, it has to be
voice in the assembly
when it comes to hurling
princely Patiala, is known
for being close to CM
Rana K P is a three-time
MLA from Anandpur The rentals
began in the early ’60s
n Sizes of plots range from one to
4 kanal
₹10,000 known for his love of
Persian poetry and
vintage Jeeps
Channi, who was caught
violating the city's layout
in order to propitiate the
abuses at the Oppos-
ition. And he still ends
every speech with
Capt Amarinder. To him
goes the credit of
setting up blood donors
Sahib, this lawyer started
his career in politics as a
sarpanch
The rentals from
₹40,000 to ₹1 lakh
(for upper floors)
eight kanals (1 kanal = 5445 sq feet)
stars "thoko taali". society of Punjab ILLUSTRATIONS: MOHIT SUNEJA

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