Art attack on Chandigarh’s heritage

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14

Far from being preserved, three nursery school buildings designed by famous Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret and categorised as ‘Grade II heritage’ by an expert panel of the UT Administration have been robbed of their architectural authenticity.

The paint jobs done at the government schools for kindergarteners in Sector 7, 16 and 22 under the BaLA Scheme of the Centre are in violation of the government-approved report titled ‘Chandigarh’s enlisted heritage-its preservation, conservation, management and maintenance’. “No external change is to be permitted, however, only limited internal change is permitted, which does not affect the exterior of the building,” the guidelines of the report state.

In contrast to its original white colour, the ramp of Government Nursery School of Sector 16 has been painted in tool-bar cyan, pink and yellow, while the building’s basic repair work stands ignored. “The principal of the school told me that in 2014, the school received a grant of Rs2 lakh under the BaLA Scheme and the ramp and classrooms were painted. In the past, schools have written to the Engineering Department regarding the repairs, but in vain,” said Rubinderjit Singh Brar, Director, School Education.

A bright ‘green and orange’ painting adorns the pillar of the Sector 22 Government Nursery School’s grey and white façade. It extends to the entrance door, the porch and is splashed like graffiti over the walls of the single-room classroom of the school. The classic stone wall, typical of Jeanneret’s minimalistic design, has been painted in white too, sparing a few grey stones. According to the UT Education Department, the school spent Rs50,000 of the funds given to it under the Centre’s scheme on the paint job.

The condition of the Sector 7 Government Nursery School in the posh Northern part of the City Beautiful is such that the students of a local NGO are forced to take their classes outside the classroom, as was seen by The Tribune correspondent on a recent visit to the school. A foot tall grass has grown out from the fishers between the concrete slabs that make the base of the beautiful sickle-shaped ramp of the building. The tubelight in the washroom can fall any minute and the water leakage has damaged the building’s roof and a wall in one of its rooms. Yet in 2005, the school spent funds worth Rs75,000, as told by the UT Education Department, for painting the pillars blue and white and classrooms under the BaLA Scheme.

None of the in-charges or principals of the schools were aware of the building’s heritage status. “I have discussed the case with the chief architect and we will be ask them to give us buildings and parts of buildings that have been declared as heritage. I think the staff doesn’t have any idea of these buildings being heritage,” said Brar.

Need for regulations

Sumit Kaur, a former UT Chief Architect who prepared a report on the heritage buildings, said: “Heritage regulations need to prepared and notified at the earliest in order to guide the preservation, conservation, management and maintenance of Chandigarh’s enlisted heritage. A detailed management plan for their restoration should be prepared in accordance with the grading and heritage regulations.”

She said: “We also need standardised signages displaying heritage status of all buildings, precincts, zones that form part of Chandigarh’s enlisted heritage to create awareness among the general public and resident welfare associations and to facilitate the tourists. Heritage walks should be conducted on a regular basis.”

Review on cards

UT Adviser Dharam Pal, who is the chairperson of the Heritage Committee, said: “We will review these buildings next week and maybe, we can have signs and issue circulars regarding the dos and don’ts for the heritage buildings. We will also soon call a meeting of the heritage committee to see what can be done.”

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