11-storey building to come up in Sec 17

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 10

An 11-storey building envisaged by Le Corbusier will become a reality, as the administration has included the project in the rejuvenation plan for Sector 17.

Sources said the Heritage Conservation Committee had recently given its nod to the plan. The building will be the tallest structure in the city after the 10-storey Punjab and Haryana Secretariat building. The proposed 11-storey building, which will come up on vacant land near the main post office building, will be a major landmark as no other building in Sector 17 is taller than a four-storey structure.

Le Corbusier envisaged the building with the aim of making Sector 17 the most vibrant sector of the city. But the plan never materialised due to the absence of consensus on the project. Le Corbusier had planned the building for the Post and Telegraph Department. The idea of the building came in his mind in 1959.

In a communication dated February 3, 1959, to then Chief Commissioner MS Randhawa,  he said: “The Post and Telegraph building would  occupy the centre of the City Centre which is the hub of Chandigarh. It will be an 11-storey building, the only one overlooking the town.”  

Later, the Master Plan Committee also  recommended for the  construction of the building. The committee proposed that the building could be a financial-cum-cultural  hub in the  sector.  Sumit  Kaur, former Chief  Architect,  under whose tenure that  master plan was prepared,  has hailed the decision to revive the  project. 

In the  rejuvenation plan  prepared by a  consultant,  it has been   proposed to  make the  building a   financial hub  where the  main offices  of all banks could shift their operations.  Under the  plan, there will be  restaurants on the  top  two floors. There will be some  floors  for the  banks  and the rest for the other  commercial  activities. Besides, the Sector 17 rejuvenation plan includes an urban park, a five star hotel, a convention centre and shifting of government offices. 

Mohali: Water supply to certain parts of Mohali and Chandigarh would be affected as the Phase 3 and 4 pipelines of Kajuali Waterworks would be shut down for repairs on Monday. While in Chandigarh water supply would be curtailed for half an hour in the morning as per the Chandigarh MC officials, the Mohali areas, including Sector 70, 71, Phase 9, 10, 11 and Industrial area Phase 1 to 5, Mataur and Shahimajra, would witness low pressure in the morning and evening. The officials said there would be no water supply in the afternoon in Mohali. The water supply would also remain affected on Tuesday. “There would be low-pressurred supply in the morning and the water supply would remain suspended in the afternoon in Mohali on Tuesday also,” said the officials, adding that leakage was noticed in the Phase 3 pipeline. “It will take around 15 hours to repair the fault,” said the officials concerned.