UT secretariat buildings to get back original look

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 18 

After restoring the assembly buildings of Punjab and Haryana, the Chandigarh Administration has decided to restore the original look of Punjab and the Haryana secretariat buildings as designed by world famous architect Le Corbusier.

Sources said the administration had floated a tender worth Rs 25 crore to restore the original look of these buildings changed drastically over a period of time.

The successive governments of Punjab and Haryana had made many changes to the interior and exterior of the secretariat buildings in the past 50 years. Though external encroachments in the buildings have been removed, work to restore the original look from inside is yet to be completed.

Under the plan, all types of changes, whether temporary or permanent, will be removed. The false ceiling, partition made of wood, changes made in the offices of ministers and senior officers will also be removed and reconstructed on the same pattern. The ACs installed outside the buildings will also be removed to make it centrally air-conditioned.

The administration had appointed a consultant to prepare the conservation and management plan for the Capitol Complex after it was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2016.The consultant was given the task to return the buildings and monuments designed by Le Corbusier 60 years ago at the Capitol Complex to their original look. The iconic three buildings of the Capitol Complex — Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and the Punjab and Haryana High Court — were constructed between years 1955 and 1958.

The restoration work on the outer side of the buildings, Open Hand and the Punjab and Haryana High Court was completed earlier and encroachments in the secretariat buildings removed. The Tower of Shadow and Martyr’s Memorial have also been cleaned and repaired. The Plaza has also been restored. 

To be made centrally air-conditioned

• Under the plan, all types of changes, whether temporary or permanent, will be removed.
• The false ceiling, partition made of wood, changes made in the offices of ministers and senior officers will also be removed and reconstructed on the same pattern.
• The ACs installed outside the buildings will also be removed to make it centrally air-conditioned