The buildings in City Centre, Sector 17 will soon get a makeover as its grey concrete facade will be restored. The Chandigarh Administration has begun the restoration process of private heritage buildings in Sector 17 here.
In phase I of the project, Rs 3.80 crore will be spent on the restoration of facade and corridor flooring of SCOs 33- 40 and 45 to 111. The work is likely to be completed by December 2021.
This is for the first time that the work on restoration of heritage private buildings in Sector 17 is taken up by the Administration. The objective of the project is to prevent further damage to the exteriors and restore the original character of these private buildings besides removing the encroachments in interiors.
Apart from this, the UT Administration is already undertaking the restoration of the facade of 30 Bays and 17 Bays building, Town Hall, Additional Town Hall and Central Library in Sector 17. The restoration work of these buildings is likely to be completed by August this year and is estimated to cost Rs 2.70 crore.
The work is also going on to restore heritage buildings in Capitol Complex, Sector 1 to its original glory.
“The private building owners in Sector 17 had conveyed their inability to spend money on restoration of heritage buildings following which the Administration decided to execute the preservation and restoration work on its own. Till now, 10 percent of the work is completed and the entire work of phase I will be completed by the end of this year,” said a senior officer of UT Administration while talking to The Pioneer.
“Initially, several SCOs in Sector 17 B and C will be covered under phase I,” he said
Sector 17, known for its lofty grey buildings now looks unkempt because of the discoloured façade over the years.
In a survey held in the past, out of 500 public or privately owned heritage buildings in Sector 17, only 23.40 percent were found to be maintaining the original architectural building facade in Sector 17. The concrete surface texture however showed signs of weathering action, carbonation, black streaks. 49.60 percent have altered, damaged exposed concrete facade due to painted surface, 22.80 percent showed signs of weathering action carbonated or blackened surface, 0.40 percent showed signs of alteration, damage due to algae, microbial action and 3.80 percent have developed visible cracks and are structurally damaged.
Notably, the architectural controls, zoning regulations and building bylaws had been put in place, for commercial and residential buildings abutting the shopping streets wherein the entire external facades and internal planning was to compulsorily conform to the standard design provided by the city planners to maintain the original character of the city.
However, both intermingled commercial and residential areas are today witnessing violations of these rules and regulations. The violations in Sector 17 here include coverage of balconies and courtyards, construction beyond zones areas, encroachments of public corridors, breach of frame controls, to name a few.
For restoration of heritage structures to its original glory in Chandigarh, the Administration had enlisted heritage in three categories namely heritage zones, heritage precincts and heritage buildings in the city.
The private buildings enlisted as heritage included SCOs/SCFs, City Centre Sector 17, Shop-cum-offices along Madhya Marg, Sectors 7 and 26, Shop-cum-offices along Dakshin Marg Sector 22, four private residences among others.
