CHANDIGARH, FEBRUARY 24 – A day after the Chandigarh administration demolished a section of the Rock Garden’s wall and felled over 50 trees for a road-widening project, residents and prominent figures gathered at the site to protest the decision.
The demonstrators, including former judges, senior advocates, and environmentalists, accused the administration of disregarding the city’s heritage and green cover.
The administration defended the move, stating it was undertaken as per Punjab and Haryana High Court directives to ease congestion near the multi-level parking facility and create additional parking space along the high court road.
Anuj Saini, son of Rock Garden creator Nek Chand, called the demolition “heartbreaking.” He said, “This is the gate through which my father used to enter the Rock Garden when he lived there for nearly three years. It was built with immense love and dedication.”
Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice SS Sodhi, condemned the action. “It is insensitive on the part of the administration. Just for the sake of parking, they are harming the environment and the globally acclaimed Rock Garden. The number of cases in the high court may be increasing, but parking cannot expand indefinitely,” he said.
Senior advocate ML Sarin criticized the lack of transparency. “The administration is deviating from the city’s original green vision. The demolition was a shock to all of us, and the fact that work was carried out at night raises concerns. We will not let this continue,” he asserted.
Advocate Vishal Lamba suggested alternative solutions. “The parking issue can be addressed through a shuttle bus service or carpooling for employees instead of cutting down trees and dismantling a heritage structure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the administration maintained that the wall was not part of Nek Chand’s original Rock Garden design but was built to enclose adjacent forested land.
A press release stated that the wall would not be entirely demolished but relocated to accommodate the widened road, with a new structure replicating its original design. The project has received approval, including the necessary conversion of forest land into non-forest use by the central government, officials mentioned.
Despite assurances, protests continue, with residents and conservationists vowing to challenge the decision.
Read More: Rock Garden Demolition Sparks Outrage in Chandigarh
