Ludhiana: HC orders stay on Rose Garden revamp
The project, which aimed to transform Ludhiana’s iconic Nehru Rose Garden through a specialised garden crafting and green space management contract, was expected to be completed in nine months; however, the stay order has cast a shadow over the grand plans, raising questions over the transparency of the tendering process
The much-publicised ₹8.6-crore redevelopment project of Nehru Rose Garden, recently inaugurated with great fanfare by MP Sanjeev Arora, has hit a legal roadblock. The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued a stay on the project, directing the Ludhiana municipal corporation not to issue a work order to the selected contractor until further orders are passed.
The project, which aimed to transform Ludhiana’s iconic Nehru Rose Garden through a specialised garden crafting and green space management contract, was expected to be completed in nine months. However, the stay order has cast a shadow over the grand plans, raising questions over the transparency of the tendering process.
Interestingly, the tender was postponed in the early days of December and later tendering process was preponed by the officials of smart city where MC commissioner had formed a committee regarding the prepone process where committee stated that process was not conducted in a good manner and later on tender was cancelled and fresh tenders were floated.
The stay was issued after a writ petition was filed by one of the bidders M/S Hitesh Aggarwal, who alleged irregularities in the tender process. As per the petition, only two companies participated in the bidding one being the M/S Hitesh Aggarwal and the other, M/s JB & Company. While both bidders were declared technically qualified, M/s JB & Company emerged as the lowest bidder, quoting ₹7.25 crore around 17.5% below the estimated cost.
The petitioner, however, claimed that M/s JB & Company concealed crucial information in its technical bid. As per the rules, bidders were required to declare ongoing work in both private and government sectors. The petitioner alleged that JB & Company failed to disclose a work contract obtained from another contractor, which was still in progress, and instead submitted a forged completion certificate dated January 31, 2025.
The petitioner also alleged that the earlier tender floated in October 2024 was abruptly cancelled on January 27, 2025 the same day the fresh tender was issued. The timing, the petitioner claims, was deliberate to allow JB & Company to qualify under relaxed conditions. Objections were reportedly submitted on February 28 and March 10, supported by photographs and videos, but were ignored by the corporation.
Taking cognisance of the allegations, the high court has sought a response from the MC and other respondents. The matter will now be heard on April 25.
Sanjay Kanwar, superintending engineer said, “We are checking the process and all the things again so that nothing wrong can be entertained. We are also going to check if the tender is not sublet by the contractor as it is not allowed”.
Until then, the prestigious garden project stalled leaving citizens with little more than hoardings and broken promises in what was supposed to be a green transformation of the city’s heart.