33 turn up at Capitol Complex on Day 1

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, April 15

As the Capitol Complex was thrown open for the public by way of prior online registrations today, only 11 visitors turned up for the visit after registering online. Even after on-the-spot registrations, the total number of visitors could not go beyond 33, pointing towards the need for the UT Tourism Department to popularise the guided tour further.

While access to the Capitol Complex, which constitutes three architectural masterpieces designed by Le Corbusier, was made hassle-free, the tour mostly attracted practising architects and students of architecture.

Out of the total, 14 were foreigners. “I tried visiting the complex last year as well, but could not get the permission. This time, it turned out to be easier. My local friends in Chandigarh Architecture College told me about the booking facility. I checked the website (of Tourism Department) and saw the option of online registration,” said Kevin, a student of architecture from Netherlands, who came especially to Chandigarh last week to see the Capitol Complex.

The visitors could be seen making a rough sketch of the Open Hand Monument and the architectural set-up of the Vidhan Sabha building while walking through the complex, forcing the organisers to extend the three rounds by 30 to 40 minutes.

About 14 residents have registered for the tour over next couple of days to see the 56-year-old structures that have been transformed into tourist spots for the first time in the history of Chandigarh. Moreover, residents will have an easy access to the complex after a gap of 20 years. Under the new system, after online registration, applicants will be divided into groups of 25 each. The visits will be allowed in three time slots: 10 am to 12 pm, 12 pm to 2 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm, according to the visitors’ preference.