Bar for preservation of green patches

Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 5

The Bar Association of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has suggested the preservation of green patches along the lake road with an underground parking for accommodating the vehicles. The Bar has also claimed that the UT Administration is in agreement with its proposal.

An application to this effect has been submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in connection with an ongoing case on the construction of chambers for the lawyers and other facilities in “the Capitol Parc” entailing six-acre green patch between the Tourist Information Centre and the road abutting Rock Garden.

In the application on behalf of the Bar Association, advocate Rohit Sud has, in fact, suggested multilevel parking with five basements below the ground. Sud has asserted that green patches as shown in a map should be preserved.

He added the UT Administration has agreed with the petitioner-Bar that the green patch along the lake road could be asked for the construction of ground minus five multilevel parking. “The surface shall remain green for environmental protection purpose,” he has added.

The application is expected to come up for hearing on November 11 when the case comes up before the High Court. A writ petition, “the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association versus UT of Chandigarh” was filed in the matter way back in 2013 for additional land to construct new chambers.

It is also believed that the High Court’s decision regarding construction of a security wall around the premises has not apparently appealed to some of the lawyers. Available information suggests that some of the members are in favour of adopting technology for ensuring security than turning the High Court into a fortress with insurmountable walls that will keep the heritage away.

A senior Bar Association member suggests adoption of safety measures akin to ones available at the airports. Elaborating, the member says full body scanners could be installed, adding that the views expressed were his own and not of the Bar Association as it was not associated with deliberation undertaken by the High Court’s security committee on the construction of wall.

Two different committees of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have as of now accorded approval on administrative side for setting up of imposing multi-storey buildings in the vicinity and for the construction of a wall.