Chandigarh · Mohali · Panchkula
Living across the tricity
Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula run into each other so smoothly that most people cross a border several times a day without noticing. But each city sits in a different state or territory, and the rules change at every border. Here is how they fit together.
Three cities, three governments
| Chandigarh | Mohali (SAS Nagar) | Panchkula | |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Union Territory, capital of Punjab and Haryana | Punjab | Haryana |
| Plots and housing | Estate Office, Chandigarh Housing Board | GMADA | HSVP, with PMDA for city-wide works |
| Electricity | CPDL | PSPCL | UHBVN |
| Water and property tax | Municipal Corporation Chandigarh | Municipal Corporation Mohali | Municipal Corporation Panchkula (water in sectors moving over from HSVP) |
| Police | Chandigarh Police | Punjab Police | Haryana Police (Panchkula Commissionerate) |
| Vehicle registration | RLA Chandigarh | Punjab transport department | Haryana transport department |
| State ID for schemes | None needed for most services | Punjab schemes use their own registrations | Family ID (Parivar Pehchan Patra) |
Zirakpur, Kharar and New Chandigarh (Mullanpur) are in Punjab. Pinjore, Kalka and Morni are in Panchkula district, Haryana.
How far is it?
| From | To | Distance | Off-peak drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandigarh Sector 17 | Panchkula Sector 5 | about 10 km | 20 to 25 min |
| Chandigarh Sector 17 | Mohali, Phase 7 | about 10 km | 20 to 25 min |
| Chandigarh Sector 17 | Zirakpur | about 14 km | about 30 min |
| Chandigarh Sector 17 | Chandigarh airport | about 15 km | about 30 min |
| Panchkula Sector 5 | Mohali, Phase 7 | about 18 km | 35 to 40 min |
| Panchkula Sector 5 | Zirakpur | about 12 km | about 25 min |
Approximate road distances. Allow much longer at peak hours, especially through Zirakpur and on the Panchkula-Chandigarh roads.
Where to go for…
Big hospitalsPGIMER and GMCH-32 in Chandigarh; the General Hospital, Sector 6 in Panchkula; and the Mohali civil hospital.
PassportThe Regional Passport Office in Chandigarh Sector 34 serves the whole tricity.
Trains and planesChandigarh Railway Station, stations at Chandimandir, Pinjore and Kalka, and the international airport on the Mohali side.
IT and office jobsChandigarh IT Park, IT City in Mohali and the Panchkula IT Park. See the jobs boards on both sites.
Moving from one to another
- Utilities: close the old electricity and water accounts and open new ones with the new provider.
- Address: update Aadhaar, bank accounts, your driving licence and your vehicle papers.
- Vehicle: a vehicle registered in one of the three counts as another state’s vehicle in the others. If you move for good, get a no-objection certificate (NOC) and re-register it.
- Property: stamp duty, registration and building rules differ in each. Check the local rules before buying.
- Haryana services: moving to Panchkula? Get a Family ID early; many Haryana services need it.
- Tenant verification: landlords register tenants with the police force of the city where the property is.
Next door: for Chandigarh’s sectors, PGI, the passport office and UT services, see Chandigarh4U. The noticeboards on both sites also accept posts for Mohali and Zirakpur.