Decks have been cleared for a new township, Aerotropolis, spread over 5,000 acres close to the Mohali International airport. It will offer a mix of residential and commercial plots with more emphasis on the latter.
After getting a nod from the council of ministers, the new minister for urban planning and housing, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, was briefed about the township at a review meeting of the department on Tuesday. Vini Mahajan, additional chief secretary, housing and urban development-cum-financial commissioner, revenue, told TOI that the idea behind the project was to ensure planned urbanization in a coveted area close to the airport.
“The land pooling scheme has been kicked off and land owners are being informed about the project. A large chunk of the developed land will go back to them, depending on the land use they opt for. Aerotropolis is in line with other project like Eco City, Aero City and IT City in the region but will be spread over a much larger area. The response to land pooling has been encouraging so far and new elements have been incorporated to make the scheme attractive for land owners. The exercise will be carried out in a phased manner,” she maintained.
Gmada has prepared a broad sectoral plan of the project for reference of land owners and farmers but detailed urban planning is yet to be done. For acquisition of four kanals, the original land owner will get the option to either have a 400 sq yard residential site and 100 sq yard shop-cum-office site with floor area ratio (FAR) of 1:3 and basement or a 500 sq yard residential site and 60 sq yard shop site with FAR 1:2.
The future of the project is linked to expected commercial activity in the area with more flights starting from the international airport. “In times to come, the surrounding area will be turned into a hub of economic activity due to better scope for cargo service, car rentals, hotels and retail business. The project will see high-density development of hotels, restaurants, business centres, retail spaces, convention and exhibition centres and residential complexes,” said another official.
Meanwhile, 560 acres in New Chandigarh will be acquired by the year end and more than 272 acres will be acquired in New Chandigarh, which will be used for residential purposes. A new four-lane road connecting New Chandigarh and Mohali will also be constructed.