Chandigarh Sector 17 readies for Diwali with 120-foot-long light tunnels, mirror plaza
With 120-foot-long chip-based light tunnels, Sector 17 in Chandigarh is all decked up to welcome Diwali shoppers. This time, the traders have decorated the plaza in such a way that it’s just not the night thing but gives beautiful photography experiences to people during the day as well.
A ‘Mirror Plaza’ of 30×60 feet has also been created to give a double lighting effect at various points, Kamaljeet Singh, the decorator, said.
On Sunday, the decorations were completed and the lights switched on. It was done after the traders got formal permission from the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on Saturday. People have started thronging the plaza on Sunday night itself.
Neeraj Bajaj, President, Chandigarh Business Council, stated, “We received the formal permission last Saturday… This time, we have used a different concept to attract the crowds.”
“Rather than having just one light tunnel at the entrance and exit, we decided to have multiple light tunnels this time since the entrance one was a hit last time. And so that they look attractive during the day also… we have tried to create beautiful daylight experiences as well by installing colourful decorative items and over 5,000 umbrellas,” Bagga further said.
he traders have together contributed to bringing back life to the ‘deserted’ Sector 17 and have also decided to “highlight the trees” with different colour lights.
“We have tried to create selfie points. We have also kept the classic Corbusier hand depicting how Sector 17 was the actual heart of the city,” a trader said.
“Many are coming here for photo shoots. We thought everyone heads to Elante Mall for festive vibes so why not do something that attracts them to the real charm of Chandigarh – which is the Sector 17 plaza,” Bagga said.
With a budget of Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, over 10,000 lights have been installed at the plaza.
The Chandigarh administration had decided to use the open grounds of government schools to accommodate the festive rush. However, not many people prefer to park their cars on the school grounds owing to security reasons.