Patiala Heritage Buildings Are In Danger

It seems that the Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation are waiting for a mishap to take place before acting against unsafe buildings in the district.

Over 12 buildings, many housing government offices, are in poor shape and need immediate repairs. A communiqué in this regard by the Patiala Deputy Commissioner last year remained unnoticed as the departments concerned failed to take any action.

The royal city has many heritage buildings. A number of these are being used as residences of administrative officers. Several others, most of which are unsafe, house government offices.

Most of these buildings are in Baradari Gardens. Most buildings house offices of senior police officers and are visited by hundreds of people from across the region.

He said that parts of these buildings keep crumbling. He told that a few years ago, some guests of the then IG were sitting in the office when a portion of the ceiling suddenly fell on the table.

Now the authorities fear that some mishap might take place, particularly during the rainy season. But, the authorities have never bothered to initiate the repair works.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said that he had written to the PWD and the MC a year ago, but nothing has been done. It is not safe to work from such buildings. He said that he will again write to these departments. Meanwhile, several other buildings in the district are also in poor shape. The authorities blame poor maintenance on fund crunch.