UT heritage panel wants GPS chips on Corbusier’s manhole covers

A heritage manhole in Sector 22, Chandigarh. (Express Photo)

WORRIED OVER theft-prone Le Corbusier-designed manhole covers in the city and the auction of UT's heritage items abroad, the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) on Wednesday mooted that a proper inventory for these be prepared to decide whether GPS tracking chips should be installed in them to keep a check on their movement or they be replaced with ordinary ones and stored at one place. The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee, constituted by the UT administrator, is headed by the UT adviser. Wednesday's meeting was convened for routine agenda but the protection of heritage furniture and Corbusier's designed items formed key part of the discussion. HCC comprises home secretary, chief architect, chief engineers of the UT Administration and Chandigarh Municipal Corporation besides other key officials.

Chief Architect Kapil Setia said the committee members were highly concerned about Corbusier's works which were in public domain like the modernist cement lights at Sukhna Lake and the manhole covers in the city. "There can still be accountability for heritage furniture kept in buildings like Panjab University or PGI or administrative buildings because there is a custodian there. But, there is more threat to these manholes and lake lights which are in public domain. So, we will see the cost factor involved in these solutions which is less - either installing GPS tracking chips in them or getting a replacement," said Setia, adding that officials have been asked to come up with other ideas, too, to protect the heritage. MC Chief Engineer N P Sharma was directed by the committee members to prepare the inventory for the manhole covers as soon as possible so that the next course of action could be decided.

Sharma told Chandigarh Newsline that the public health department would conduct the survey. As of now, UT does not have the exact number of Corbusier-designed manhole covers left here. According to the chief architect, there were over 10,000 such manhole covers on all the streets in the first phase of Chandigarh in the 50s and 60s. In 2014, two manhole covers were stolen from the CBI office at Sector 30A. In 2010, one manhole cover, bearing an impression of Chandigarh's master plan, was sold for Rs 10.87 lakh at an auction in Paris. However, the UT administration expressed helplessness and did nothing after learning about the auction. A senior official, who was part of Wednesday's meeting, added that even if the UT administration may write to the Ministry concerned about UT's heritage being auctioned abroad, the list of inventory has to be ready for that.

The issue of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) flagging the involvement of Punjab Civil Services officer NPS Randhawa in the heritage smuggling case was also part of the discussion wherein the chief architect informed that they have sought a copy of the DRI report. There have been a spate of auctions where heritage furniture from Chandigarh has been going for lakhs. The concern for preserving all the heritage items arose after DRI wrote to the Punjab government, demanding action under service conduct rules against Randhawa for his alleged transactions with a businessman accused of smuggling antique furtniture from Chandigarh.

Former chief architect Sumit Kaur, who attended Wednesday's meeting, said, "I feel phasing out Corbusier's manhole covers won't be the right way. We are aiming to become a smart city and we must have a common monitoring system to keep a check on these items like having GPS tracking chips fitted in them."

State Local Bodies and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu told the media in Jalandhar on Wednesday that the DRI, in its 1200-page notice, had virtually directed the state government to take action and mentioned that Randhawa has been selling furniture, especially of Le Corbusier, by showing it as junk purchased for Rs 1.5 lakh and a single table sold in the US for a whopping 4 lakh dollars. The PCS officer has allegedly also sold off antiques during auctions at Christies and Sotheby's. Sidhu further stated that he had recommended the dismissal of the PCS officer in an alleged antique furniture smuggling scam and wrote about the same to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who has the prerogative to take decision pertaining to any PCS or IAS officer.