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Ludhiana: Rose Garden project halted after allegations of bribery
The much-publicised ₹8.8-crore redevelopment project of Nehru Rose Garden, recently inaugurated with great fanfare by MP Sanjeev Arora, has hit a legal roadblock in the early days of April month
The municipal corporation (MC) has cancelled the controversial tender of the city’s popular Rose Garden project, which was earlier estimated at ₹8.8 crore. The decision to scrap the tender came after superintending engineer (SE) Sanjay Kanwar was arrested by the vigilance bureau where he allegedly asked for a 10% commission in this tender. Officials have now said that a fresh tender will be floated only after the enforcement of the election code of conduct ends.
The much-publicised ₹8.8-crore redevelopment project of Nehru Rose Garden, recently inaugurated with great fanfare by MP Sanjeev Arora, has hit a legal roadblock in the early days of April month. The Punjab and Haryana high court issued a stay on the project, directing the Ludhiana MC not to issue a work order to the selected contractor until further orders are passed.
According to the purported audio recording, Sanjay Kanwar was heard claiming that a share of the “10% commission” goes to a senior official, cryptically named as “vadda saab”. The opposition claims this proves the involvement of higher authorities and have accused the AAP government of turning a blind eye to corruption within the civic body.
The project, which was announced with much fanfare, aimed to give a modern makeover to the iconic garden located in the heart of the city.
There were also concerns about the transparency of the tendering process and the urgency shown in pushing the project forward just before the implementation of the model code of conduct. Critics accused the civic body of attempting to rush through a high-budget project without adequate public consultation or expert opinion.
Fresh tender to be floated: MC officials
Senior officials at the MC confirmed that the ₹8.8 crore tender has been officially withdrawn. They added that the project will be re-tendered again. “We have cancelled the current tender keeping in mind the concerns raised. A fresh process will be initiated once the election-related restrictions are lifted,” said a MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal.
City residents and environmentalists are urging the state government to evaluate the tender again as the cost of the project is very high as there is not much work of this amount which has been proposed by the officials of MC.
Jasveer Singh, city resident said, “The project cost around ₹9 crore and this is a very high price as beautification of the Rose Garden projects does not need crores of rupees as this can be re-evaluated and checked thoroughly so that public money should not be wasted.”
The garden, known for its lush greenery and variety of rose species, is one of Ludhiana’s few remaining green spaces and draws hundreds of visitors daily. Citizens now hope that future plans will focus on preservation along with development, and that the civic body will consult the public before moving ahead.
