Chandigarh Rock Garden Demolition Sparks Outrage

Chandigarh’s iconic Rock Garden, created by Nek Chand from recycled materials, is partly being demolished to widen a road near the Punjab and Haryana High Court, causing public outrage. The partial demolition aims to add parking space but has destroyed a portion of the garden’s wall, alarming heritage conservationists and prompting an outcry from locals who cherish the site’s cultural significance. Anuj Saini, Nek Chand’s son, expressed deep anguish, lamenting that this area was lovingly built by his father, while city residents recall how a human chain in 1989 once halted similar plans. Lawyer Manmohan Lal Sarin criticized the Union Territory administration for ignoring environmental concerns. Although officials say the road has official clearances and the Rock Garden’s boundary wall will be restored, protesters demonstrated on 23 Feb, hoping to stop the bulldozers. A former Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice Savinder Singh Sodhi, who took part in the protest, condemned the demolition, ‘Razing the Rock Garden’s wall is not a solution but the beginning of an end. The city needs sustainable traffic solutions—shuttle services, improved public transport and multi-level parking lots—rather than harming its trees and heritage.’ Meanwhile, another historic institution in Panjab, the Phagwara Municipal Corporation library, faces neglect despite Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s push for ultra-modern rural libraries. Once a vibrant space for youth and underserved residents, it now stands abandoned after municipal offices repurposed its space as cabins for employees. The funding for newspapers and magazines has also ceased, leaving the library’s vast resources locked away. Municipal employees blame a lack of financial support, and many lament the lost cultural asset. Phagwara’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Navneet Kaur Bal pledged to revive the library, proposing a modern facility that caters to readers of all ages. Whether that would ever materialize is an open question.