Chandigarh: Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex has been declared a World Heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This not only put the city on the world map but has also opened a new era of development for it.
The buildings, designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, which were under a threat of degradation, will now get world-class protection and funds for conservation. The Administration will have to maintain the buildings under the constant watch of UNESCO. It will also have to create a buffer zone around the Capitol Complex to protect it from the ill-effects of other areas.
The Complex is one of the architectural landmarks designed by Corbusier who had led a team of European planners to design Chandigarh. The buildings of the Capitol Complex were inaugurated in the period 1953 to 1968.
Located in the heart of Chandigarh, the Complex houses the seats of government of both Punjab and Haryana. The main buildings in Complex are the secretariat complex, the legislative assembly complex and the High Court Complex. The ‘Open Hand’ monument, the symbol of Chandigarh, is also in the Complex.
Chandigarh’s home secretary, Anurag Aggarwal said, “This is a great achievement for the administration, another feather in the cap as we bring home a heritage status, I congratulate everyone on the success.”
The announcement sparked off joyous reactions from city residents. Rajnish Wattas, a heritage expert and former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, called it a historic day. “We lost Lahore in Partition, but today we have got a world heritage city. But with this status, there will also come a greater responsibility for protecting our heritage,” said Wattas.
For M N Sharma, an architect who worked closely with Le Corbusier on building Chandigarh and was the first Indian chief architect of the city, the inclusion was long overdue. “It’s a moment of great joy. Finally after a long delay, Le Corbusier has been awarded what he deserved.Chandigarh should have been included in the heritage list along with Brasilia way back in 1987,” said Sharma, who had launched campaigns preserving the Corbusier heritage and for getting Capitol Complex Unesco heritage status.
Two attempts were made in 2009 and 2011 to get the name included in the list but the Administration could not succeed for various reasons. Later, a team under former Chief Architect Sumit Kaur was formed to prepare a dossier in 2012. Sumit Kaur said the dossier was presented in association with France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Argentina and Japan, where works of Corbusier existed. The team had to work hard to ensure that the dossier presented the universal values of the works of Corbusier.