Drawing a bead on making the Capitol Complex easily accessible and more tourist-friendly, the UT Administration has finally earmarked a site for setting up of Tourist Centre to give permission to tourists for sightseeing in the Complex.
The new Tourist Centre is aimed at easing the cumbersome process of getting permission for sightseeing in the Complex.
At present, the tourists have to visit Tourism Department office in Sector 9 or le Corbusier Centre in Sector 19 or Sector 17 office to seek permission to visit Capitol Complex.
At these offices, the identification of tourists is ascertained and they are given a permission letter to visit the Capitol Complex.
And, sometimes the process takes an hour or longer.
A senior official of the UT Administration said, “A site has been earmarked near Punjab and Haryana High Court Complex.
Soon, a Centre would be set up there to give permission to the tourists for sightseeing in the Capitol Complex.”
The official added, “Consisting of major architectural masterpieces designed by city’s creator le Corbusier, Capitol Complex is a significant tourist spot in Chandigarh and the move is aimed at making it more tourists friendly.”
At present, it is no less an ordeal, especially for THE foreigners who come here to study le Corbusier’s architectural masterpieces, and have to wait for permission with the offices concerned closed on weekends and on public holidays.
The move would facilitate the tourists, especially the foreigners who are unaware of the rules, and will also encourage tourists to visit the buildings.
The restriction on sightseeing in Capitol Complex is also playing a spoilsport for tourists in the city.
Chandigarh welcomed only 34130 foreign tourists in the year 2012 whereas the numeral of foreign tourist arrivals was 37190 in the previous year.
In 2010, nearly 40 thousand foreign tourists had visited Chandigarh and in 2011 the numeral plummeted to 37000.
The main tourist attraction, Capitol Complex in Sector 1 consists of three main edifices namely the Secretariat, the legislative Assembly and the High Court.
All these buildings are interlocked to one another as part of a subtle visual composition.
The Complex also has eye-catching and esthetic open hand monument, High Court museum and tower of shadows.
Aesthetically designed structures in the Capitol Complex are concrete sculpture representing the monumental character authority.
located in Sector 1, the Complex is the raison-d'etre for this city, the seat of the two Governments.