CHANDIGARH
Area in Sq Km : 114
Population : 64 lakhs
By
Air
Chandigarh
is served by all domestic airlines. From Delhi and
Amritsar, there are three weekly flights (Monday,
Wednesday and Friday) to Chandigarh..
By
Train
Chandigarh is well
connected to Delhi by train; your best bet would be
the daily Shatabdi Express which takes about three
hours.
By
Road
A fairly good bus service
connects Chandigarh to Delhi (5 hrs), Amritsar (6
hrs), Shimla (4 hrs) and several other places in Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh. You could also drive from Delhi
in a rented car..
November and March.
From
the Airport
Auto-rickshaws and pre-paid taxis are easily available.
Shuttle services will take you to town.. From
the Railway Station
Auto-rickshaw, taxis, luxury coaches, State buses
are available all throughout the day.
From
the Bus Station
Auto-rickshaw or taxis would be your best bet. Local
buses will take you to your destination but they are
quite crowded unless you board at the starting point..
In and around the city: Chandigarh is a well-planned
city and it is easy to find one's way around while
walking. You can also rent a car for the day. Taxis
and auto-rickshaws are other options. In 1947 when
Lahore, the then capital of the Punjab in north-west
India was ceded to Pakistan, the Indian Prime Minister,
Jawahar Lal Nehru dreamt of building a modern city
at par with Lahore. He commissioned French architect,
Le Corbusier, to build his dream city. Chandigarh
became a reality in 1960. The capital city for the
adjoining North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana,
it works independently as a Union Territory, controlled
by the Central Government. Located on the foothills
of the Himalayan Shivaliks, Chandigarh has grown from
the original 29 sectors to 46. It is a typically North
Indian city with one eye towards Delhi: every family
has one member either working in the capital or at
least a married daughter staying in Delhi. People
in Chandigarh lead disciplined lives. Unlike its more
industrial neighbours like Ludhiana, it's a service-oriented
culture here. On the whole, a clean, educated and
corporate place. .
Summer temperatures vary between 28 and 38 degree
Celsius; winter temperature ranges between 7 to 22
degree Celsius. The average rainfall during the monsoon
season (July-August) is 70mm..
