Punjab directs removal of unauthorised structures from secretariat

With the Chandigarh Administration making all-out efforts to secure 'World Heritage Status' for the Capitol Complex here, the Punjab government on Monday directed all its departments to immediately remove unauthorised constructions from the civil secretariat building in the state capital.

"The Punjab government has issued instructions to all government departments located within the Punjab civil secretariat-1 to remove unauthorised structures and additions with immediate effect," a state government spokesperson said.

The Punjab government move follows the visit by a team from the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), under United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to the Capitol Complex last week for considering it for the coveted status. A member of the Archaeological Survey of India and UT officials accompanied the visiting team.

The team visited the complex that includes the civil secretariat building, the Punjab and Haryana high court building, the assemblies of Punjab and Haryana and other places. The Capitol Complex was designed and built by Chandigarh's founder-architect Le Corbusier and his team in the 1950s and 1960s.

The 10-storey civil secretariat building is shared by Punjab and Haryana governments which have their respective headquarters there.

Over the years, different government departments have taken recourse to many unauthorised additions and illegal constructions in the secretariat building.