“The uniqueness of your city is only because of the heritage concept. If that goes, everything goes. The uniqueness goes. It’ll be like any other city.”

Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court made the emphatic remark while hearing a matter relating to the proposed construction of a flyover at Tribune Chowk, questioning whether Chandigarh could afford to compromise its founding philosophy for the sake of easing traffic.

The Bench observed that the issue went beyond a single structure and touched the very core of what made Chandigarh distinctive. “The concept of the city is pitted against the traffic congestion. Now, which one do we give more prominence to and why? Which one is more important?” the Chief Justice asked.

The court cautioned that allowing even one such

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