CHANDIGARH: The iconic Rock Garden in Chandigarh is facing the UT administration’s bulldozers, and citizens are up in arms to stop them.
A portion of the outer wall of the Rock Garden is being demolished and trees on either side of it being cut following a directive by Punjab and Haryana high court. It is part of a road widening project for creation of additional parking space and traffic decongestion on the road near the high court abutting the Rock Garden.
Outraged by the administration’s move, citizens have started campaigns to save the legacy of Nek Chand – whose waste-to-art project has been part of the city’s identity for decades.
“So sorry, Nek Chand Saini; your precious creation is being demolished in part to make way for a road and parking of polluting vehicles. We, the people of Chandigarh and the administration, have let you down, that too in your birth centenary year,” wrote Manmohan Sarin, a lawyer and member of Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee, in a post on X on Feb 22.
The wall that is being razed is near the ‘high court gate’ or ‘VIP gate’ of the Rock Garden. “It is the same gate from which Nek Chand ji used to enter the Rock Garden when he lived in it for around three years,” said Nek Chand’s son Anuj Saini, adding, “The wall can be rebuilt, but the heritage value of the area will be lost.”
Citizens have been holding protests, and have initiated online petitions – ‘Save Rock Garden, Save Chandigarh’ and ‘Saving Chandigarh’ – to halt the demolition.
The UT administration, however, said it is mandated to address the traffic bottleneck. It added that the compound was “not integral to the Rock Garden”, but was originally built to enclose the adjacent forested land.