Chandigarh to get Garden of Springs

CHANDIGARH - Giving a boost to Chandigarh’s tourism infrastructure, the union tourism ministry has sanctioned a grant of over Rs.3.1 crore to set up a “Garden of Springs” here in Sector 53, a senior official said Tuesday.

Chandigarh, which was designed by legendary French architect Le Corbusier in 1950s, is famous across the world for its gardens and its dense green cover.

“The concept of the ‘Garden of Springs’ shall be developed by an expert team from Chandigarh College of Architecture. We have plans to make this garden a major tourist spot in the southern sectors of Chandigarh,” Ram Niwas, Chandigarh’s home-cum-tourism secretary, said here.

The central ministry of tourism has sanctioned Rs.311.5 lakh (over Rs.3.11 crore) to establish this garden, he added.

He said that work for clearing the site at the southern end of Chandigarh, adjoining Mohali town, has already been started.

“There will be a tourist reception centre and spacious parking area. A special feature of the garden will be corridors of different colours, along with theme-based flowering trees,” Niwas said.

Chandigarh has sprawling gardens at almost every kilometre. The Rose Garden, spread over 46 acres, has 17,000 plants showcasing nearly 800 varieties of roses and an assortment of medicinal plants.

These gardens are major attractions for tourists. Nearly one million tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit here annually.

Many more theme-based parks like the Garden of Palms, Garden of Conifers, Valley of Animals and Cactus Garden are also coming up here.