To make Capitol Complex easily accessible and more tourist-friendly, a user and tourist management plan is being chalked out by the UT Administration. The plan is a key component of Chandigarh’s nomination dossier prepared for putting Capitol Complex on UNESCO’s list of world heritage site.
The dual aim of the plan is to cater to the large number of users of the site (office goers, litigants and visitors to the High Court) as well as the tourist influx in Capitol Complex, recognised as an architectural and urban icon of modern heritage.
UT’s nomination dossier reads, “The nominated property (Capitol Complex) should be integrated into a tourist circuit including the Sukhna lake, Rock Garden and leisure Valley and connected by means of public transport. The approach to the nominated property from the city should be strengthened to ensure easy access to the large number of staff, official visitors and litigants and tourists.”
The permission to access the buildings in Complex are granted at the Tourist Information Centre.
In its user and tourist management plan, the UT has suggested that infrastructural augmentation of the property should be undertaken to address developmental pressures and increasing visitation while ensuring the preservation of the authenticity and integrity of the site and its components.
At present, the three edifices including Assembly, Secretariat and High Court, though in varying degrees, reflect stress induced by the increasing user pressure especially in the High Court.
“The main areas of concerns regarding user, visitor and tourist management are requirement of additional work space, infrastructural needs, pedestrian & vehicular accessibility to and within the site and parking for users and visitors,” stated the dossier.
Expressing concerns over the increasing pressure on architectural masterpieces, the UT has stated, “The three edifices are under pressure for augmenting work space and service areas as they are serving the growing population of the city and the region with the maximum pressure being felt in the High Court. The requirement of additional space to accommodate the functions of the High Court shall be met within the eastern buffer for which holistic planning has been undertaken with the involvement of the members of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee to ensure harmonious development.”
Due to manifold increase of users and visitors, the infrastructural needs of water supply, drainage, electricity etc are also under stress effecting the smooth functioning of the activities within the edifices.
Giving detailed account of infrastructural needs in the Complex, the nomination dossier reads, “Provision for fire fighting and risk preparedness and disaster management require dedicated and additional resources which need to be factored in while augmenting the essential services. Interventions of human comfort and work efficiency with adoption of modern technology like computer networking, power back up etc are necessitating alternation and additions to the built fabric.”
Also, modern means of surveillance and security should be explored now to replace the check and posts and barricades while reducing the manpower needed. And, adequate infrastructure for the security personnel responsible for round the clock security of the campus and allied services should be accommodated without compromising on the aesthetics of the site, stated the nomination dossier.