Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced the establishment of the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) on Tuesday, making it the third city in the state to do so after Gurugram and Faridabad. The state government's plans to turn the Panchkula district, which borders Chandigarh, into a major hub for industrial investment, tourism, and adventure sports. Khattar told the media, the authority will operate similarly to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA). The PMDA would ensure sustained and balanced growth of Panchkula. The authority would ensure the availability of infrastructure and other key facilities to the people by working in collaboration with other departments such as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, HSIIDC, and Municipal Corporation. An extensive Information Education Communication (IEC) campaign of Panchkula's integrated development plan will be carried out to ensure that people in the state, as well as Panchkula residents, are aware of the development that has been planned for the city, and adding that hoardings displaying information about completed projects and major developmental works in progress will be installed across the city. Khattar told the media that construction of a road connecting Chandigarh International Airport and Panchkula is currently underway. Work on a bridge across the Ghaggar River is also underway in this regard. The construction of the Pinjore airstrip is also underway. People will be able to use the air taxi service, which will begin soon after it is completed, to travel to tourist destinations such as Shimla, Dharamshala, and Kullu. Panchkula is Haryana's first planned city, and it has gradually undergone major transformations since 1972, when the city's first action plan for urbanisation was prepared, ranging from developing modern amenities of life to infrastructure development. External Development Charges (EDC) and Infrastructure Development Charges (IDC) have been reduced to match those in Mohali and Zirakpur. Taking the city's development plan a step further, various development charges and taxes in Panchkula district have been slashed by nearly one-third, bringing them on par with Mohali and Zirakpur, and in order to entice investors to make potential investments in the district. Two large hospitals with modern health infrastructure will be opened in Sector-32 and Sector-5C, according to the chief minister, in an effort to develop Panchkula as a medical city. At a cost of Rs 22 crore, the state's first joint food and drug testing lab will open in Panchkula's Sector-3. Sector-23 will be home to the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Khattar told the media that the state government wants to develop Panchkula as an industrial and logistics hub because it serves as the gateway to Himachal Pradesh. The plans to develop Morni Hills in the district as a popular tourist destination. To develop Panchkula as a tourism hub, we built paragliding facilities at Morni. On the occasion of International Yoga Day on June 21, paragliding will be introduced. A state-of-the-art archaeological museum is being established in Panchkula's Sector-5 to educate residents about Haryana's glorious history. The development of Pinjore is a key component of Panchkula's integrated development plan, and a comprehensive plan for establishing a film city there is being drawn up. Image Source Also read: CII-IGBC ink pact with Indian Institute of Architects for green buildings Also read: Sustainable redevelopment for better communities and urban renovation