Capitol Complex revamp nears completion

Ramkriashan Upadhyay 

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

The restoration work in majority of the buildings at Capitol Complex is almost completed. The work was started by the Department of the Engineering an year ago. The administration had decided to give the buildings an original look soon after the UNESCO had declared Capitol Complex as the World Heritage Site. Sources said the administration would also begin the restoration of buildings from the inside soon. 

The three buildings of the Capitol Complex — Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and the Punjab and Haryana High Court — were constructed between years 1955 and 1958.The concrete on the outer side of the buildings were decayed and deteriorated due to weather conditions over the years.  The surface became black and cracks had developed at many places. But now, the concrete on the surface has been cleaned. The encroachment and the temporary structure were also made in the buildings. Mukesh Anand, Special Secretary of the Engineering Department, said about 85 per cent of restoration work on the outer walls of the buildings has  been completed. The work to remove the encroachment fromthe  Haryana Secretariat is going on and is likely to be completed within a month 

He further said after the completion of the outer work, the department will start working inside the buildings. He said the interior work would be done as per the recommendations of a Mumbai-based heritage architect, Abha Narian Lambah. 

He said the department received the reports from the consultant for the interior changes. The restoration work on the outer side has also been done on consultant’s recommendations.