Chandigarh: HC orders verandah construction outside chief justice’s court

Order comes even as the Chandigarh administration is awaiting approval from Archaeological Survey of India, as the site holds World Heritage status

The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered construction of verandah outside chief justice’s court even as the Chandigarh administration is yet to get nod for the same from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

As the HC building is part of the Capitol Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an approval is required from ASI that will further approach the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. (HT File)

The order was passed by the high court bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and justice Anil Khsetarpal, dissatisfied over the delay in constructing the same by the UT administration.

The bench has directed the administration to start the work within two weeks and complete the same within four weeks thereafter.

The court was hearing a 2023 public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vinod Dhaterwal, an office-bearer of the high court employees’ association, demanding infrastructure development at the HC complex in the wake of increasing traffic congestion, space crunch and implementation of the holistic development plan.

Currently, the verandah exists only in front of the court building from numbers 2 to number 9. The need to construct the verandah has been left unmet for a long time as the open space outside the court inconveniences visitors, especially during rains. The high court building is part of the Capitol Complex, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 2016. The complex, spread over 100 acres in Sector 1, is a prime example of Chandigarh’s architecture designed by French architect Le Corbusier.

Construction at a heritage site is prohibited without approval from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

The committee has already stalled three ambitious projects at the Capitol Complex including the underground multi-level parking lot, high court’s holistic development plan and an AC chiller plant.

The UT informed the court that a proposed map of the verandah has been submitted to the ASI for approval by the Chandigarh Heritage Committee and the ASI is to further pursue the matter, being the nodal agency.

However, the court observed that in the past it refrained from issuing any direction due to promises from the UT administration about the construction of verandah, “which is dire need of the hour”.

Meanwhile, UT has received in-principle approval for diverting land from forest to non-forest use of a small portion of land of the Rock Garden to be used for road widening for greater access to HC complex. The court said that conditions imposed for the same by the Centre should be cleared within 15 days.

Additionally, the court has sought a rough estimate of construction of slip roads at the junction of Uttar Marg and Jan Marg by the next date of hearing on December 13