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Security boost: Chandigarh admn to install iron grilles around high court
A tender for the project has been floated for ₹3.60 crore and the work is expected to be completed within three months
The UT engineering department has decided to install iron grilles around the Punjab and Haryana high court to enhance security. The project, estimated to cost ₹3.60 crore, aims to regulate movement around the court premises and prevent unauthorised entry.
According to the engineering wing, the fencing will be constructed using 300,000 kilograms of mild steel (iron grille), with the cost of iron fixed at ₹114 per kilogram. A tender for the project has been floated and the work is expected to be completed within three months.
The high court, designed by renowned architect Le Corbusier, is an important heritage structure and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. Established in 1966 following the States Reorganisation Act, it was formerly known as the Lahore high court, set up in 1919.
Meanwhile, RTI activist RK Garg has criticised the administration alleging selective enforcement of heritage conservation. “Wherever it finds convenient, the administration ignores heritage,” he alleged.
In a related development, the UT administration has begun widening the road leading to the high court to reduce congestion in the parking area. This has involved demolishing part of the Rock Garden wall and felling around 50 trees. The move has drawn strong opposition from local residents.
While officials defend the move as a necessary step to ease traffic flow, critics argue that the Rock Garden is a significant heritage site, and its destruction undermines the city’s cultural legacy.
