GENESIS (Page 6)

On December 31, 1957, he wrote to DP Nayyar, the then Secretary to Punjab government, "The footpath must simply become a part of the adjoining road made for the trucks for maintenance without change in level or change in material. Otherwise when the dam will be injured it will be too late!"

The embankment and the low parapet along the promenade are constructed in simple riverbed stones bound by mortar. Such simple materials impart a natural ambience to the lake precincts. The steps from the promenade to the lake water below are similarly made in dressed stonemasonry. Choosing to have an asphalt Surface for the promenade out of considerations of economy as it covers a huge area along the entire length of the dam. One cannot forget that Chandigarh was created at a time when the nation was limping back to normalcy after an emotionally and financially draining partition. The very creation of Chandigarh and the funds that a mammoth project of such magnitude required had become a topic of much heated debate by then. In such a scenario one can understand the limited budget available to the planners for purely aesthetic ventures.

Maybe any other obvious choice of material like stone paving found in most old Cities would have cost a lot more in terms of material and installation cost. Maintenance would have also become a recurring and expensive affair. Procuring material of the same specifications later on after a long time could also have been an impossible task. The bitumen Coated pathway on the other hand can be repaired in parts or whole and yet maintain the homogeneity of appearance even after decades of wear and tear. Moreover, the smooth and anti-skid surface of the promenade makes it a Safe Choice for brisk Walkers and joggers in all seasons.

The End.