A detailed financial plan would be worked out by the UT Administration to support short and long term conservation and promotion plan of Capitol Complex in Chandigarh. So far, no separate fund allocation for the Capitol Complex was provided.
An expenditure of about Rs23.98 crore has been incurred in the last 10 years for the maintenance of Capitol Complex. However, keeping in view the nomination to world heritage status, funds commensurate with the needs of the management plan will now be allocated in a time-bound manner to sustain the site’s long-term conservation.
The UT Administration in its nomination dossier prepared for UNESCO world heritage site status, has planned to work out a detailed financial plan to carry out various studies and conservation works in Capitol Complex (nominated property).
The nomination dossier reads, “The expected expenditure of the necessary conservation measures and for implementation of the management plan will be worked out in consultation with the diverse agencies involved. A dedicated and detailed financial plan for the implementation and sustenance of the conservation plan, management plan, interpretation plan among others should also be created besides the fund needed for regular upkeep and maintenance of the site.”
“The UT Administration earmarks sufficient funds for maintenance, conservation, valorisation and tourism promotion of the nominated property. A dedicated budget is made available for the annual and short and long-term maintenance of the nominated property. An amount of Rs1583.55 lakh has been allocated by the UT Finance Department for maintenance of all Government non-residential buildings for 2013-2014,” stated the nomination dossier.
Further, inscription as a world heritage site will help perpetuate success in attracting funding for conservation and enhancement from a range of sources due to the importance and prestige associated with an internationally important site of Corbusier’s architectural legacy.
Aesthetically designed structures in the Capitol Complex by architect le Corbusier are more than five decades old and so far, the UT Administration has not chalked out any separate financial plan for conservation works of the Complex buildings.
As per the surveys conducted by UT Administration earlier, the buildings in the Capitol Complex are defaced due to blackening of walls, roughening of concrete surfaces, discoloration of walls due to algae and fungus, seepage of water from roofs and floors, vegetation growth on walls and terraces, cracks and corrosion in various buildings over the years.
Poor maintenance, resulting in seepage and leakage of roof terracing, weathering and poor maintenance of shuttered concrete as well as dumping of garbage within the campus has turned these monuments of modern architecture into eyesores.
Notably, le Corbusier’s Capitol Complex along with his other works in six countries is included in the trans-border serial nomination for UNESCO heritage status for the year 2015.
located in Sector 1 here, the Capitol Complex is the raison-d'etre for this city, the seat of the Government. The complex consists of three main edifices namely the Secretariat, the legislative Assembly and the High Court which are interlocked to one another as part of a subtle visual composition. Being the administrative hub of Punjab and Haryana, the Complex also includes the High Court museum and the tower of shadows.