Rose Garden withers as delays upend revival plans

Times News NetworkLudhiana: Despite being an iconic landmark, Nehru Rose Garden finds itself relegated to the memory of the 80s and 90s, its heydays. Violence of the past decades left the garden scarred and deserted. Although residents do go there for morning and evening walks now, they find no sign of the beauty and popularity it once enjoyed. Delays and controversies have worsened the situation. More than one year since the foundation stone for the Rose Garden beautification project was laid, work has not started on the ground. After three attempts, officials could only get one bidder, leading to confusion on whether to hand over work to the contractor or not.The project has been controversial from the beginning, both in terms of cost and tenders. The delays have cost the once magnificent Rose Garden dear. Its beautiful fountain, which used to be surrounded by a large crowd every day, is broken. The swings are in bad shape and the gleaming tiles of yore are coming off. Hardeep, a regular visitor to the Rose Garden, said, "Authorities claimed that they would beautify the park, where many people come daily for walk, jogging, yoga, etc but nothing has been done so far. Such works should be taken up on priority."The MC however, is caught in formalities. Superintending engineer Sham Lal Gupta said, "We have received one bidder and this week we may take a decision on work allotment." On the legal tussle, he said they would consult the MC law branch before taking any step.The plantation planOfficials have proposed trees of 2.5 metres height) including:Seeta Ashok Reetha Putran Jeeva Maulsiri Kadamb Bahera Harad Sembal Arjun Farmah Palash White siri Black siri Terminilia Mentalis Rudraksha Desi Bamboo Banyan Indian Rubber Plant Krishana Fig, etc. Besides, different roses — Grandiflora Roses, Hybrid Tea Roses, Floribunda Roses, Polyantha Roses, Landscape Roses, Bourbon Roses, Damask Roses, Alba Roses, Kashmiri Roses — have been proposed. Project cost revised three times — Initially, the project cost was fixed at Rs 8.80 crore — Later, MC officials were accused of seeking a bribe for allotment of tenders and the project was scrapped— The second time, the cost came down to Rs 8.46 crore — Senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar raised questions on the cost of this project — The third time, the cost was reduced to Rs 7.81 crore — Foundation stone for the project was laid on March 28, 2025, after which it was caught in controversy Previous controversy A superintending engineer of the MC allegedly demanded 10% commission from a contractor in exchange for the project tender. The matter was highlighted after an alleged audio clip of him demanding a commission was leaked, and the Vigilance Bureau arrested him. The tender was opened during the code of conduct, and the matter reached court. MSID:: 130732718 413 |