Centre recommends Punjab & Haryana HC complex plan to UNESCO

The Centre on Thursday formally recommended the long-stalled holistic development plan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to UNESCO and other international partner institutions for consideration at the 48th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, Korea, from July 19 to 29.

The development assumes significance as the proposed expansion of the High Court, an integral part of the Le Corbusier-designed Capitol Complex, has now formally entered the international decision-making process, making it a matter of global heritage concern. The project can be executed only after receiving clearance from the WHC.

Sources privy to the development told The Tribune that the Union Ministry of Culture, after completing all requisite formalities, has forwarded the plan to the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris and other international institutions concerned and partner countries associated with the transnational world heritage inscription of Le Corbusier’s works.

The matter is also set to come up before a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu on Friday, where the Centre’s action in forwarding the proposal is expected to be placed on record.

The Centre’s move follows the unanimous decision taken on Tuesday by the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC), chaired by UT Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad, to forward the concept proposal in compliance with explicit HC directions. The committee, while clearing the proposal, had underlined that no execution could take place without UNESCO approval and that mandatory heritage impact assessment, environmental clearances and statutory permissions would be non-negotiable.

The holistic development plan proposes a new High Court complex spread over 20.49 lakh square feet, comprising three new blocks and three basements, including a multi-level parking facility for 2,450 vehicles. Officials have consistently maintained that the skyline, façade and iconic eye-level view of the High Court from the Capitol Complex plaza will remain untouched, with all new construction carefully offset and visually screened, strictly in line with the ICOMOS Technical Review.

The project had earlier been ordered to be suspended by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session held in Riyadh in September 2023, which flagged concerns over possible adverse impact on the site’s Outstanding Universal Value. Since then, the plan has undergone extensive redesign and international consultations, including discussions held by the Chandigarh Administration in Geneva in September 2025 with six partner countries to secure unanimous consent for any modification to the Capitol Complex.

A detailed 28-slide presentation prepared by Design Associates Inc, the consultant appointed through competitive bidding, forms the basis of the revised proposal now sent to UNESCO. The design echoes Le Corbusier’s architectural vocabulary, follows the Modulor proportions and Golden Ratio, shifts services underground to avoid rooftop clutter and reorganises the cluttered north-eastern zone of the High Court by removing ageing structures at the end of their service life.

The expansion is driven by acute space shortages, with pending cases crossing 4.12 lakh and the sanctioned strength of judges projected to rise to 110 by 2050. Parking stress, congestion and fragmented temporary structures have long been cited as major functional challenges.

If cleared at the World Heritage Committee’s 48th session, the project would mark one of the most closely scrutinised heritage-sensitive expansions ever undertaken at Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex since its inscription on the World Heritage List in 2016.

Court complex expansion at a glance

Existing area: 7,20,665 sq ft

Built-up area after redevelopment: 15,24,001 sq ft

Total basement: 11,25,365 sq ft

Parking capacity: 2,450 vehicles

3 new blocks, 3 basements planned

32 courtrooms in new block

Estimated cost: Rs 800-900 cr