AI Generated Summary
- Chandigarh is set to add a major new green destination to its urban landscape, with work formally getting underway on the proposed City Forest at the Sukhna Choe Reserve Forest in Industrial Area, Phase I.
- Planned as an eco-tourism and environmental education hub, the project will be developed over nearly 35 acres of restored forest land at an estimated cost of Rs 13.
- A key feature of the project will be a 4,190-sq-ft auditorium equipped with a stage and seating for 102 people.
Chandigarh is set to add a major new green destination to its urban landscape, with work formally getting underway on the proposed City Forest at the Sukhna Choe Reserve Forest in Industrial Area, Phase I.
Planned as an eco-tourism and environmental education hub, the project will be developed over nearly 35 acres of restored forest land at an estimated cost of Rs 13.32 crore. The initiative follows the recent clearance of Rs 176.34 crore for three infrastructure projects by the Appraisal Committee.
The site forms part of the 65 acres reclaimed by the Chandigarh Administration after the removal of the unauthorised Colony No. 4 settlement on May 1, 2022. Since then, the Forest Department has undertaken ecological restoration of the area through plantation drives, soil and moisture conservation measures, water harvesting and habitat improvement.
Officials said the City Forest has been conceived in a manner that allows people to experience the restored woodland without compromising its ecological character. Visitor movement will be regulated through designated pathways and facilities designed to keep disturbance to the forest habitat to a minimum.
A key feature of the project will be a 4,190-sq-ft auditorium equipped with a stage and seating for 102 people. A 200-seat open-air theatre is also proposed, creating spaces that can be used for environmental education, awareness programmes and nature-related activities.
Other visitor amenities will include a reception and ticketing facility with toilets, a food kiosk, two gazebos, a 1,385-sq-ft meditation hut, a maze and additional toilet blocks.
Nature observation and forest surveillance will form another important component of the project. Plans include a 51-foot fire watch tower and a 31-foot bird-watching tower. Five bird-water areas, a telescope observation deck and information signage will also be developed to encourage visitors to observe and understand the local ecosystem.
To provide access through the forest while limiting human impact, the Administration has proposed a 500-metre elevated nature trail. Eight-foot-wide pathways and cycling tracks will create defined routes through the site rather than allowing unrestricted movement across the restored habitat.
The landscaping plan relies extensively on nature-friendly materials. Three rain shelters, 12 bamboo canopies, 12 gabion benches, six gabion water spouts and four bamboo bridges are proposed as part of the development.
The project estimate has been drawn up using CPWD Plinth Area Rates 2025 as well as prevailing market prices. Of the total expenditure, around Rs 6.07 crore has been earmarked for civil works, roads, parking and nature-related facilities, while the auditorium building is estimated to cost Rs 1.45 crore.
Another Rs 1.87 crore is proposed for horticulture and associated structures, including bamboo installations, towers, gazebos and the reception facility. Public health infrastructure — covering water supply, firefighting arrangements and rainwater harvesting — has been estimated at Rs 1.11 crore.
Electrical works, including lighting, CCTV surveillance, power backup and audio-visual infrastructure, account for approximately Rs 2.42 crore. The auditorium’s audio-video system alone is expected to cost Rs 90 lakh. A further Rs 40 lakh has been provided for contingencies.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said the project would strengthen Chandigarh’s green infrastructure by creating a controlled, low-impact setting where residents, students and tourists could connect with the city’s natural environment. The emphasis, he said, would remain on ensuring that public access does not come at the cost of the forest’s biodiversity and ecological integrity.
The project will now move through the technical and contractual stages before full-scale construction begins. Officials have provided about 30 days for technical sanction, followed by a 45-day tendering process and another 15 days for the award of work.
Once construction commences, the City Forest is expected to be completed within 12 months, transforming land once occupied by an unauthorised settlement into a publicly accessible forest and environmental learning space.
