Rose Garden revival plan hits dead end

The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has dropped its ambitious project of setting up an aviary in the Nehru Rose Garden.

Advertisement

The proposal was made on the insistence of late MLA from West constituency Gurpreet Gogi and authorities had applied for certain permissions as well. After Gogi’s death, nobody reportedly followed up the proposal in letter and spirit.

Sources revealed that project has been dropped due to certain complications, including permissions from various authorities.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Rose Garden earlier had mini-zoo and an aviary. The zoo housed variety of animals, including rabbits, monkeys, langurs, pigeons and ducks. However, following directives from former Union minister Maneka Gandhi to relocate animals from small zoos to larger facilities with better care, the animals were shifted to the Chattbir Zoo, near Chandigarh.

A few rabbits and ducks remained in the garden. After a series of attacks by stray dogs, which resulted in the killing of many rabbits, the remaining animals were relocated to the Shani Temple, near Phillaur.

The zoo was a popular attraction for residents before it was dismantled. Pertinently, the authorities had been undertaking a significant makeover of the Nehru Rose Garden. An extensive project is aimed at revitalising the park by introducing a new bird aviary and upgrading existing features like fountains and footpaths.

The authorities had sought to restore the garden’s former glory, creating a vibrant space for the community. However, the shelving of the aviary project by the MC has not gone down well with birds lovers.

In 2023, the then Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gurpreet Gogi and Forest Department representatives had inspected the remnants of the old mini-zoo, especially the worn-out cages. The forest officials were told to compile a detailed report, which the Municipal Corporation (MC) had to use to apply for necessary permissions from the Centre. Notably, the proposed revitalisation plan had to come eight years after the last renovation done in 2015, prompted by the then MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi’s visit and assessment of the garden’s deteriorated condition.

The officials had anticipated that the bureaucratic process will take three to four months, but after the death of MLA Gogi the project lost steam and the authorities decided to drop it.

The MC staff were also supposed to visit the Chhatbir Zoo to study bird aviary there. Dr Harbans Singh Dhalla, a retired MC veterinary officer who was overseeing the project, had expressed enthusiasm about the proposed aviary. “If the project materialises, it will be a major attraction for the residents, especially children,” Dhalla had said.

Sources said there were no shortage of money to give wings to the project as the MC had planned to utilise funds from the Smart City Mission. The long fountain strip, a prominent feature in the garden, had to be fully renovated and damaged or broken footpaths were to be repaired.

The Rose Garden once also had a boating club, which is now lying abandoned. Established in 1967, the Rose Garden has for long been a cherished landmark in Ludhiana. Maintained by the MC, it once featured a children’s boating club, inaugurated on November 14, 1979, which operated until 1982-83. As per the MC, the boating club was closed due to persistent water seepage issues that could not be resolved despite repeated repairs.

MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal confirmed that the aviary project has been dropped, but did not give the reason behind the same.