Chandigarh, May 23 -- In a decisive break from the city's long-standing low-density planning model, the UT administration has proposed a shift toward high-rise vertical expansion to accommodate a growing population within the limited land.

According to the draft amendments to the Master Plan-2031, individual residential plots, once a defining feature of Chandigarh, will no longer be created. Instead, all new housing will take the form of group developments, a move officials say is necessary to prevent further fragmentation of scarce land.

The amendments are proposed for Phase 2 (Sector 31 to 47-B) and Phase 3 (Sector 48 to 56, Sector 61, Sector 63) and will have no bearing on heritage sectors, i.e Sectors 1 to 30, designed by French arc...