Chandigarh residents urge Punjab governor to stop Rock Garden demolition

Residents in Chandigarh have urged Punjab Governor and Union Territory Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to halt the demolition of a section of the Rock Garden wall for a road-widening project near the Punjab and Haryana High Court parking area, The Tribune reported on Wednesday.

The Rock Garden, perhaps the most popular tourist attraction in Chandigarh, was built by the late Nek Chand Saini. A government official, he started building the garden in 1957 and eventually established it over 40 acres. The sculptures in the garden are built almost entirely from industrial and domestic waste.

In a letter to Kataria, residents organised under the banner of “Saving Chandigarh” said that the Rock Garden and its surroundings were classified as a Grade 1 heritage site under the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 and fall within the catchment area of Sukhna lake, a protected zone. They called on Kataria to intervene and ensure that future development projects respect the city’s aesthetic, functional and environmental integrity.

“This insensitive destruction disregards the historic and cultural significance of the world-famous creation,” the letter stated, adding that the move violates heritage and environmental laws that prohibit construction in the area. “This is yet another example of the alarming breakdown of Chandigarh’s well-planned urban fabric in the name of need-based…

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