The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the UT Administration to seek assistance of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the preservation of heritage items of Chandigarh.
In a communiqué sent to the UT Administration, the MHA has asked the Administration to get in touch with the experts’ of ASI for the conservation of heritage items belonging to the city. The communiqué has been sent in reference to the report submitted to the Ministry by the UT Administration on action taken to preserve heritage items.
As per the report, Chandigarh has ‘12793’ heritage items designed by city’s creator French Architect le Corbusier or his team associated with the founding and planning of the city in 1950s and 60s. And, there are 190 different categories of the heritage items including drawings, murals, models, tapestries, chairs, tables, among others.
According to the report, the UT Government Museum and Art Gallery has possession of large number of heritage items including furniture, drawings, murals, models among others made by renowned Architect le Corbusier and his other associates. Besides, Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat, Punjab and Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Punjab and Haryana High Court also have huge stock of heritage furniture including chairs and tables.
The UT’s report had also recommended seeking the expertise of Ministry of Culture Affairs and Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) to establish the genuineness of heritage items and for its conservation.
Earlier this year, the MHA in a letter had asked the UT Administration to expedite the ongoing Police investigation regarding the theft and sale of Chandigarh heritage items designed by city’s creator le Corbusier and his associate Pierre Jeanneret. It was also informed in the letter that the action taken report on preservation of heritage items submitted to the MHA was forwarded to the Union Ministry of Culture Affairs for further action.
When contacted, UT Chief Architect Sumit Kaur said that the Administration is already working for the preservation of heritage items of Chandigarh. The Ministry has asked us to take help of ASI for this purpose. She said, “The Administration had given a number of recommendations in the report for conservation of heritage items belonging to Chandigarh. The preservation of the heritage items remains a priority of Administration and the issue would be discussed soon.”
In its action taken report, the UT Administration had also submitted that there are piles of broken, unused or discarded heritage items especially furniture in various UT, Punjab and Haryana departments. The Administration has already asked these departments not to discard the unutilized heritage furniture and preserve the same.
The UT Administration had recommended that after identifying genuine heritage items of the city, these heritage items should be given the status of heritage formally and tagged as ‘art heritage’. Subsequently, the UT Administration would frame rules to preserve the heritage items.
Notably, MHA in the year 2011 had asked UT Administration to submit the details of auction of Chandigarh’s heritage items by the auction houses based abroad and details of action taken by UT to ensure preservation of the heritage items in the city.