Under Section 4 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, Chandigarh was constituted as a:

Under Section 4 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, Chandigarh was made a Union territory with effect from 1 November 1966, and it became the shared capital of both Punjab and Haryana.

Background:

• After independence, Lahore, the capital of undivided Punjab, went to Pakistan.
• The new city of Chandigarh was planned as the capital of Indian Punjab.
• It was designed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, along with Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew.
• It was inaugurated in 1953.

Reorganisation of Punjab:

• In the 1960s, there was a demand for a Punjabi-speaking state (Punjabi Suba).
• The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 divided the old state of Punjab into Punjab and Haryana, and transferred some hill areas to Himachal Pradesh.
• Both new states claimed Chandigarh.
• As a compromise, Chandigarh was made a Union territory and the capital of both states.

Administration of Chandigarh:

• It is governed directly by the Central Government through an Administrator.
• Since 1984, the Governor of Punjab has served as the Administrator of Chandigarh.
• It does not have its own Legislative Assembly.
• It is represented in the Lok Sabha by one member.

Judiciary:

Chandigarh falls under the jurisdiction of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is located in Chandigarh.

Dispute over Chandigarh:

• The Rajiv-Longowal Accord of 1985 proposed transferring Chandigarh to Punjab, but this was never implemented.
• Both Punjab and Haryana continue to claim the city.

Features of Chandigarh:

• It is known as "The City Beautiful".
• It was planned in sectors, with a Capitol Complex that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Rock Garden, created by Nek Chand, is a famous attraction.

Union territories in India:

India has eight Union territories, of which Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have legislatures.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Chandigarh was not made part of either state or a separate state.