Chandigarh, March 10 -- Despite growing public outcry, the Chandigarh administration completed the demolition of a wall outside the iconic Rock Garden on the intervening night between Saturday and Sunday for a road widening and parking project.

While the demolition work had been progressing slowly since February 22, the wall's complete clearance on Sunday morning came as a surprise to residents.

As per the UT administration, the wall was originally built to enclose the adjacent forested land and was not part of the garden designed by Nek Chand. Hence, it is not integral to Rock Garden itself, the administration told the Punjab and Haryana high court on March 7.

However, it is being relocated to accommodate the widened road and space fo...