Again, Capitol Complex eyes UNESCO world heritage tag

This is a significant step in the efforts that have been going on for the last three years to get the heritage status for the Capitol Complex, which is known worldwide for Le Corbusier’s master design and includes the high court, the legislative assembly, the secretariat building, and the Open Hand monument.

In a recent letter to the UT administration, UNESCO has said that Chandigarh meets all technical requirements outlined in the operational guidelines for nomination to the world heritage list. “Our International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will soon contact you to arrange for an evaluation of the site for the final decision,” reads the letter.

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Officials said Chandigarh stood a good chance to secure the world heritage status if UNESCO’s expert team, that will be visiting the city soon, was convinced with the efforts of the local administration in preserving the site, as promised in its dossier.

Kavita Singh, Director of Tourism Department, which is the nodal agency for the project to obtain the heritage status, said that efforts are on to

bring required regulation and conservation in the Capitol Complex, and further ease the visitors’ access to the complex. Results will soon be visible, she said.

Besides the Capitol Complex, Le Corbusier’s architectural masterpieces in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Germany and Argentina have also secured nomination in the tentative list. India and all these countries are together making a joint bid for the heritage status through a transnational dossier submitted earlier this year by Paris-based Fondation Le Corbusier. It also helped the local administration to prepare its part of the dossier.

In addition to acknowledgement as a heritage site, UNESCO recognition is likely to bring funds, status, conservation efforts and tourists to Chandigarh.

However, the nomination would also put the administration under pressure to resolve several issues concerning conservation of the Capitol Complex.

According to the dossier submitted by the administration, it has to take policy decisions regarding management of additions and alterations to the buildings in the Capitol Complex in consultation with different stakeholders, besides empowering the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee for overseeing all future intervention.

Further, it has to ensure the structural stability of the buildings in the longer run. The Central Building Research Institute at Roorkee is already conducting a study of the secretariat building. Removal of the violations in the buildings in the Capitol Complex is another important issue. Then, there are issues of risk preparedness and fire-fighting arrangements.