The Punjab and Haryana High Court has denied the Chandigarh administration’s plea to recall its order allowing the installation of paver blocks in the green belt area adjacent to the High Court complex to facilitate vehicle parking. This decision by the bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel comes amid ongoing local protests against related infrastructure changes, including the controversial demolition of a portion of the wall at the iconic Rock Garden.
On February 7, the High Court had directed the administration to lay green paver blocks in this designated green belt area, despite objections from the Union Territory (UT) administration. The UT had raised concerns that the area is part of the core zone of the UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Capitol Complex – and argued that converting a green belt into a parking space contradicts the Chandigarh Master Plan-2021, which safeguards open and green spaces from being repurposed.
The court, however, emphasized the acute need for additional parking space to alleviate congestion around the High Court premises, noting that the designated green pavers would allow for water permeation to aid groundwater replenishment, making them a sustainable choice. The existing facilities are insufficient, with an underground multi-level parking structure that accommodates only 600 vehicles out of the thousands that visit daily.
The administration’s application highlighted that the use of the green belt for parking could negatively impact the land’s designated use and alter the character of the premises. However, the High Court reiterated its stance, advocating for the implementation of the green pavers as a necessary development for resolving the ongoing parking crisis.
This order is part of broader proceedings stemming from a 2023 public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vinod Dhaterwal, an office-bearer of the High Court employees’ association. The PIL calls for infrastructure improvements to manage increasing traffic and space shortages at the High Court complex. Plans for expanding the High Court facilities have been stalled since the Capitol Complex’s designation as a World Heritage site in 2016.
The controversy extends to the Rock Garden, where recent actions to remove trees and demolish part of the garden’s wall have sparked protests from community leaders, environmentalists, and former justices, who criticize the moves as detrimental to Chandigarh’s heritage.
