Chandigarh,November 28
The urban population figures of Haryana and Punjab present a study in contrast. While Punjab, with a population of 1,03,87,436 (37.49 per cent) has more urban population than Haryana, which is 88,21,588 (34.79 per cent), Haryana scores over its neighbour in the number of 1 lakh-plus cities.

In a development that indicates large-scale urbanisation, apparently as a result of proximity of districts and towns in the National Capital Region (NCR) to National Capital New Delhi, as many as 20 cities have “plus-1 lakh” status in Haryana as compared to only 17 cities in Punjab.

According to the provisional rural-urban figures of the Census Department, Haryana registered a staggering growth rate of 236.45 per cent in 2011.

Haryana’s millennium city Gurgaon still remains the second largest city in the state with the number-one slot occupied by Faridabad. While Faridabad has a population of 14,04,653, Punjab’s largest city - Ludhiana - has a population of 16,13,878.

The second largest city in Haryana is Gurgaon with a population of 8,76,824 while its Punjab counterpart - Amritsar - has more population at 11,32761.

The third most-populous city in Punjab, Jalandhar, with a population of 8,62,196 was far ahead of the third largest city in the neighbouring state - Rohtak - whose population was only 3,73,133.

The data revealed that the other plus-1 lakh category cities in Haryana are Hisar, Panipat, Karnal, Sonepat, Yamuna Nagar, Panchkula, Bhiwani, Ambala, Sirsa, Bahadurgarh, Jind, Thanesar, Kaithal, Rewari, Palwal, Jagadhari and Ambala Sadar. In Punjab, the plus-1 lakh cities included Patiala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Batala, Moga, Pathankot, SAS Nagar, Abohar, Malerkotla, Khanna, Muktsar, Barnala, Ferozepur and Kapurthala.

A close look at the data showed that given the major Haryana towns’ proximity to New Delhi, maximum urbanisation has taken place in these cities. With New Delhi bursting at the seams, a large number of people, who cannot afford a house in the national capital, are shifting to the peripheral towns of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panipat, Sonepat and Bahadurgarh.

This coupled with large-scale industrialisation in these Haryana towns and their emergence as prominent centres of the servicing sector had attracted persons from all over the country.

Top three  Haryana 
 Faridabad 14.04 
Gurgaon 8.76 Rohtak 3.73
Punjab
Ludhiana 16.13
Amritsar 11.32
Jalandhar 8.62