Conservation panel to take call on HC expansion plan

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 21

The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) will take the final call on the expansion plan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, including the issue of a boundary wall for security purposes, at its meeting scheduled for November 27.

Sources said the UT Administration had called a meeting of the committee next week to discuss the report of the sub-group. The Administration would take the decision based on the recommendations of the CHCC. The sub-group of the heritage committee had submitted its views on both issues recently.

While the security committee of the High Court had directed the UT Administration to construct a high security boundary wall, not less than 7 ft in height, with a concertina coil covering the entire boundary of the High Court premises, another building committee of the High Court had called for preparing a detailed project report for a ground plus four-level building. While rejecting the original 2,66,430 sq ft expansion plan prepared by the architect, the building committee of the High Court had asked the architect to prepare an expansion plan for 3,21,000 sq ft area with a structural strength to bear the load of a ground plus four-level building to cater to the present as well as future requirements.

The sources said the sub-group, in its report, disapproved of the revised proposal of a ground plus four-storeyed building to be constructed under the expansion plan of the High Court.

Instead of the revised proposal for a multi-storeyed building, the heritage sub-group recommended to stick to the original low-rise building plan as prepared by architect Namita Singh and Associates earlier.

Members of the sub-group had visited the site to give their recommendations on two issues — revised expansion plan of the High Court and the construction of the security wall.

The members of the sub-group felt that the revised plan for the expansion of the High Court was against the master plan. They said the security concerns of High Court would be addressed without compromising on the heritage status of the Capitol Complex, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2016. The iconic buildings of the High Court, Assemblies and the Secretariat comprise the Capitol Complex.