Heritage manhole cover replaced with concrete one
Amarjot Kaur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 9
The local Municipal Corporation (MC) swung into action on Wednesday night after the new Commissioner Anindita Mitra was intimated about the heritage manhole cover lying unattended in Sector 21.
Following The Tribune report on the manhole cover, which was spotted by a member of the UT Administration’s heritage panel, the cast iron manhole was replaced by a cemented one.
When informed about the heritage item, Anindita assured quick action and the repair work began this morning itself.
The MC chief said, “We have the heritage manhole cover safely with us and replaced it with a cemented one. Our public health wing is also looking for more such manhole covers to see if they are safe.” She added that the MC would now work in coordination with the heritage committee of the UT Administration. “We will put this entire agenda of heritage manholes before the heritage committee and find ways to preserve and conserve these.”
On Wednesday, Ajay Jagga, member, Heritage Items Protection Cell (HIPC), had raised the alarm over the safety of the cover which was designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. In a communication sent to the MC Commissioner, Jagga had highlighted that the price of the manhole cover was estimated at Rs20 lakh and could easily be stolen.
