Tree-lined roads, water and power-the living is easy in Mohali. But India's boom town on the make has its pitfalls.

By Moinak Mitra

Puran singh approaches every car that pulls up for petrol on one of the three Chandigarh-Mohali connectors. The lanky, Sikh pledges his ''labour'' for the day in return for Rs 80. Every car is similarly surrounded by a multitude of Puran Singhs with their common ''labour chahidi hai?'' (Do you require my services?) refrain.

It's still a good five-minute drive to Mohali's outer end of single-storey houses and industrial construction sites. Past a row of stucco buildings lined with eucalyptus and jamun trees, a sign-Welcome to Mohali: Punjab's Industrial Destination.

Industrial and industrious, Mohali and its people never let you forget that this is a city on the make, a city that wants to become an economic powerhouse and avoid the Indian mistakes of abysmal planning and municipal anarchy.

For a town in macho Punjab, the cars drive slow: 60 kmph. The roads are either four- or six-lane, but speeding invites quick crackdowns. Many drivers actually use seat belts. And unlike most Indian cities, no one uses a mobile phone while driving. So far so good.

But all the first impressions come unstuck once you reach Phase viii, an industrial estate that houses software and pharma companies. Narrow streets, inadequate parking and haphazard growth are the norm here.

''Five years down the line, this place will be so congested that the big fish have to move out,'' huffs Parvinder Singh as he works out on a treadmill. Singh is general manager of Himachal Drugs and Pharma Labs, a company with a modest turnover of Rs one crore. Like so many drawn to Mohali by its standard of living, orderliness and greenery, He's afraid that the slide into urban anarchy could be quick.

That might take some doing.

M.ZARABI, Chairman, Semiconductor  Complex Ltd "There have been no power cuts for us since we enjoy a special status."

Mohali is Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's pet project. There are no major power cuts, but of course, this is India and you must bear the occasional spike. If you put down a borewell, you will in some places hit water in less than 20 ft, not the hundreds that is now the norm in other cities. Of course, this is still India, and free power to neighbouring farms implies the Mohali water table may soon plunge.

Another reason for the rush to Mohali is the it-bug-smitten Punjab Government's efforts to rope in infotech majors. There are already four it giants-Infosys, Quark, Puncom and Tata Interactive Systems-and 146 others have listed with the Electronics Corporation of Punjab (ECP), the Government-appointed agency formed to rev up it investments in the last 18 months.

Everyone you talk to hardsells Mohali. Like Dr. Sanjay Tyagi, Additional Director & Centre Head, Software Technology Park of India: ''Investing here pays off (for the IT industry), since they enjoy an income tax holiday for 10 years, import duty exemption, excise duty exemption, Central sales tax reimbursement and superior data communication services due to the presence of an international gateway at Mohali.''

Shall We Drive To Shimla For Dessert?

If you are thinking of relocating to Mohali, you won't have to think very hard. After all, it can't be very difficult living in a place with tree-lined roads, cheap housing, quality education and, oh yes, the Himalayan foothills less than an hour away.

Mohali manages to offer newcomers the best urban facilities thanks to its proximity to Chandigarh, a free-wheeling Union Territory and a hub for many northern regions, including Punjab, Haryana, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and even Delhi. Chandigarh then, acts as Mohali's big brother, providing a home to Mohali's upwardly mobile. In that sense, Mohali's growth is symbiotic with the growth of Chandigarh. For now, Mohali must be marketed with Chandigarh.

Several Chandigarh-based entrepreneurs, who operate from Mohali during the day, almost unanimously echo the quality of life Chandigarh and its sibling have on offer. ''The commute is easy, it is less polluted and housing is not a problem,'' says Rajiv Kuchhal, Associate V-P, Infosys Technologies Ltd. Indeed, the rent for a 250 sq. yd. two-room apartment costs a meagre Rs 3,000 a month, whereas the same space at Gurgaon rents for a hefty Rs 10,000. ''Add to this its small-town charm, and this place is a goldmine,'' adds Kuchhal.

Relocating to Mohali is very easy on executives. Amardeep Saluja, Head of Operations at Tata Interactive Systems, Mohali, loves the time he gets to teach math to his son every day. ''When I came to Chandigarh a couple of years ago, I was able to admit my son to a good school in the middle of the session, all the formalities were over in just three hours of the morning of the first day!'' exclaims Saluja who moved from teeming Kolkata. ''That's unthinkable in any other city.''

Saluja also points out that the hills of Himachal are just a 45-minute drive away. ''This,'' he says languidly, ''is the good life.''

K.S. Cheema, administration manager of the Country Club, Mohali, puts Mohali a step ahead of big brother Chandigarh. Sprawling over three-and-a-half acres, the club already boasts of 500 members and is attracting 150 new members every month. ''Chandigarh is crowded and expensive, and it costs anywhere between Rs 75,000-Rs 1 lakh for membership,'' says Cheema. ''But here, for permanent membership, one has to cough up a paltry Rs 21,000.'' As much as 60 per cent of the club's membership comes from Mohali's IT industry.

Vinod Sawhney, the Kolkata-bred MD of Spice Communications Limited, is one of those whose made Chandigarh his home, and Mohali his workplace. ''I work better and longer here. The city is increasingly shedding its Punjabi character and donning a more cosmopolitan outlook,'' he says. ''And the proximity to the hills makes the city a refreshing destination.''

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