Heritage furniture: Chandigarh Admn seeks access to original drawings

Chandigarh, June 20

The UT Administration has sought assistance from France for accessing the original drawings or data related to furniture items of Chandigarh, which is being illegally auctioned abroad.

A high-level meeting was held today between the French delegation, led by Thierry Mathiu, French Ambassador, and a team of the Chandigarh Administration, led by UT Adviser Rajeev Verma.

The visiting French delegation also included Fabrice Cotelle, Homeland Security; Amandine Roggeman, from Cultural Embassy of France to India; and Ophelie Belin, Director, Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh.

The UT Chief Architect gave a brief presentation about the background of Chandigarh, its inception, the role of architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in carving the city and the major highlights of the city’s planning parameters. The work done on the actionable points decided in the previous visits of the French Missions to Chandigarh were also discussed.

The Adviser emphasised the significance of partnership between the Chandigarh Administration and the French Government.

The French delegation was keen on understanding the follow-up on the two working groups sent earlier by the French Government. The first working group was regarding the restoration of UNESCO world heritage sites in the city and the second was for support on technical and legal aspects of stopping the illegal trafficking and auction of heritage furniture items.

During the presentation, the French Ambassador was apprised of the status and progress of restoration works of UNESCO world heritage sites in Chandigarh. Focus has been made on preservation and conservation of the Capitol Complex, especially the concrete façade of the Secretariat and Assembly building. The process undertaken for retrofitting the original tapestries of the Vidhan Sabha and the High Court was also shown.

It was also emphasised that process of preservation being undertaken by the French Government with regard to heritage artefacts may also be shared and training module for such practices may be worked out in coordination with the French Mission.

The French Ambassador appreciated the efforts undertaken by the UT Administration for preserving the original artefacts related to Le Corbusier.