No monument in Chandigarh has heritage status: Centre

No monument in Chandigarh has been designated as a monument of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, clarified the Union ministry of culture in the Lok Sabha in a written reply to an unstarred question by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari.

The city, which is not listed as a heritage city, has also not received any state-level heritage designations under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964.

The ministry’s response added that Chandigarh served as the capital of the erstwhile joint Punjab until 1966, yet no local monuments, archaeological sites, or ancient remains in the union territory have been conferred protected status under state laws.

This comes despite the city’s reputation for its modernist architectural heritage, notably the Capitol Complex designed by Le Corbusier, which holds a niche UNESCO recognition but does not fall under any statutory protection framework in India. “Only the Capitol Complex has a non-statutory status in a niche UNESCO genre dealing with the works of Le Corbusier,” the statement said.

Tewari’s question sought to ascertain the reasons for the absence of any legal heritage designation in Chandigarh. In response, the government reiterated that while Chandigarh’s architectural legacy is widely acknowledged, no formal legal measures have been taken to designate monuments of either national or state importance within the city’s boundaries.

“The reply clearly shows that Chandigarh is not a heritage city and all the measures taken by Chandigarh administration in the name of heritage are a farce. There is no legal backing of the so called heritage status of the city,” said Manish Tewari.