Poor state of Chandigarh Rock Garden, People said it is because of Kiron Kher

A Mumbai visitor was disappointed to find the Rock Garden of Chandigarh in a bad state, with stagnant water pools filled with plastic. The tourist, who had come to marvel at this unique creation, expressed disappointment at the lack of cleanliness and maintenance at the heritage site.

In a viral video, a visitor expressed disappointment about Chandigarh's heritage and people, due to the plastic and trash. "Preserve the garden's beauty," the visitor urged.

In the video, she said "We came from Mumbai to see the Rock Garden. What we saw was beautiful, its elegance and something that we expected. But this is not what the heritage of Chandigarh and its people shows, with all the plastic and trash thrown here," the visitor lamented, urging the public to preserve the garden's beauty.”

A guest from Mumbai visited Chandigarh, and the first thing they wanted to see was the Rock Garden.

However, they were dismayed to see that stagnant water, filled with plastic bottles and wrappers, was marring its beauty and that not even a single patch of water had been… pic.twitter.com/vmWWMQ9kig

— Rattan Dhillon (@ShivrattanDhil1) May 23, 2024

The Rock Garden, a sculpture garden made from recycled materials, is the brainchild of the late Nek Chand Saini, a former government official who secretly built it over 18 years starting in 1957. Today, it sprawls over 40 acres and attracts millions of visitors annually, showcasing the artist's vision of a divine kingdom crafted from discarded items.

The neglected garden has drawn criticism on social media, with users lamenting and calling for accountability from the authorities. "This is what the architect Le Corbusier feared – Chandigarh becoming like Ludhiana or Jalandhar. We failed him by not keeping our promise," one user wrote, referring to the city's urban planner.

Others blamed Member of Parliament Kirron Kher, with a user saying, "Thanks KIRAN KHER. Chd degraded gradually post @KirronKherBJP became MP. She was not able to carry forward the legacy of Great @pawanbansal_chd, who played the major role in Chandigarh's development."

One visitor expressed disappointment, saying, "This was the first time in my 27 years of life visiting them, and trust me, after seeing this I returned significantly disappointed."

The stagnant water pools have also raised concerns about potential health hazards, as they can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of diseases like dengue and malaria. "Stagnant water becomes breeding ground for mosquitoes which in turn causes dengue, malaria, hope the civic authorities clean it asap, unfortunate that this is happening in the 'city beautiful'," another user commented.