NEW ANNEXE BUILDING IN THE COUNCIL HALL PREMISES

Built in the high Victorian Period of the 1870’s

as a Council Hall this landmark brick building

was built to seat about 200 people. Mubarak

Ansari writes1 “Engineer Colonel Melliss drew

up the plans for this majestic Venetian Gothic

structure. The land cost was Rs.50,875. And the

construction cost was Rs.1,22,940! This was the

happening venue in Pune especially for cultural

programmes like balls! In 1886, a fancy dress

competition and ball were organized in honour

of Queen Victoria's son! Even today, life like

portraits of many personalities of those times

leaves visitors simply awe struck by the

magnificence of the place”. Today there are no

portraits of the worthies.

The place was then set up as the office of the

Divisional Commissioner, in charge of five

districts including Pune. The Hall is about 80’

long, 40’ wide and 40’high. The District

Gazetter makes a mention of the hall being

painted in white and gold. Today the gold has

disappeared under a PWD whitewash but the

rose window of stained glass on the northern

wall still retains the original colours, the crown

of the queen of England and a dictum that says

‘Heavens Light our Guide’. Local flora such as

palm leaves and lotus flowers are motifs used in

the artistry of the glass that has withstood the

test of the times despite few breaks and cracks.

“Pune's Council Hall assumes significance because it was

here that the first session of the then Bombay legislative

assembly was held on July 19, 1937. Importantly, the first

session of the Bombay legislative assembly, after India

achieved Independence, was also held at the Council Hall

on September 10, 1947. At a special session held on

October 6, 1949, the country's first Prime Minister,

Jawaharlal Nehru, addressed the legislators at the Council

Hall. It was for the first time in the country that a Prime

Minister had addressed legislators. As per records, a total

of 14 sessions of the state legislative council were held at

the Council Hall till 1955. Besides, 13 sessions of the State

Assembly were held here till 1955. The sessions of the

bilingual Bombay legislative council were held between

1957 and 1960. Later, after the formation of the state on

May 1, 1960, the first session of the Maharashtra

legislative council was held from July 6, 1960 to August 25,

1960.”2

Typically the space around such buildings built

during the Raj was large. This was subsequently

littered with insignificant badly built, poorly lit,

clumsy little buildings which ultimately made

the original landmark look shabby surrounded

by ugly neighbours. Resultantly the efficiency of

the systems that worked in such premises was

affected as also the impressions of those who

came to get their work done. The Council Hall

Bhumi Pujan, Ground Breaking on 29 8 2009

premises are no exception to this unwritten

rule.

In May 2009 the Ministers from the Pune region

together with the top brass of the bureaucracy

decided to reverse this trend and demolish all

the unworthy neighbours around and provide a

new clean, green, heritage friendly building that

will house the 11 departments that assist the

Divisional Commissioner and the Ministers

under one roof. A new building was conceived

that would not only be three times in size of the

old landmark but also pay its respects to the

elderly neighbor. A massive banyan tree masks

the building from the street (opposite INOX

cinema) which folds on itself to make it L

shaped where one end of the building can be

seen from the other. The new building as

conceived by the architects was to show good

manners to the heritage building while

asserting its times and ideals. Government

buildings of the Raj had corridors and

verandahs that were often dark and bred

intrigue. The verandahs were used as a buffer

against the harsh weather, dust, noise and

natives! The verandah-like corridors of the new

building are open to public view, light and

ventilation. The new building makes a grand

gesture in the form of a 3 storeyed Chattri in

steel and toughened glass that welcomes

visitors and becomes a meeting place. It also

brings in and cools the air that flows through

the building. The green building makes use of

calcium silicate bricks that use up fly ash (a

waste product from thermal power plants) and

gives a brick texture that blends easily with the

existing building. Large windows that are easy

to operate bring in plenty of light obviating the

need to light up the building during daytime. 40

windscoops that bring in cool air to the insides

of the building are a special feature of the

building that are being used for the first time in

Pune. Convection currents are set up due to the

temperature difference that exists between the

top and bottom of the windscoop that runs

over the 12 metre height of the building. Air

conditioning is not necessary in such a building

that reduces the demand for energy. Glass

mosaics in simple patterns of black and white

were employed as bands on each floor on the

exterior as well as the twin columns of the

porch.

The old building itself is in need for

conservation which has been duly recognized by

the Deputy Chief Minister and the Divisional

Commissioner. Measured drawings and

condition-mapping of the site were coupled

with historical research. This revealed that the

building was never commissioned as a new

building. Little additions here and there have

resulted in what looks like a building designed

for the location. This is indeed a remarkable

feat or a happy coincidence. The research3 also

reveals the series of little estimates prepared

and sanctioned including a note by the

secretary of a Governor who conveys the

appreciation of his Lordship to the team who

did the work but is a little shy of letting the

press know about this appreciation! There are

extensive notes on the recommendations of the

Executive Engineer Major Melliss and his

Superintending Engineer Col. Finch asking for

introducing heavy stone cornices to alter the

effect of the proportions. Many of these

recommendations were never carried out as is

evidenced from the present shape of the

building. Compared to other important building

built during this period like the Government

House or the Lord Reay Markets, this is a

relatively cheaper building that uses a local

brick instead of stone. Porbundar stone being

the only one used sparingly at the porch or

around few arches. The belvedere is

nevertheless the most striking feature of the

building which is marked with a curious design

that looks African in origin. The conservation

issues of the building relate to the brickwork

that has been painted over with an acrylic

based cement paint, so much so that even the

stonework has been painted over! The flooring

as seen inside the building is of several types,

the one in the Hall being the one altered

recently with disastrous effect that needs to be

replaced. In several places the original wooden

flooring remains in relatively good condition

and needs to be retained. The roof is simple

and devoid of the typical nightmare that one

comes across in other Victorian buildings in

Pune. As a result the timber trusses below the

Mangalore tiles and corrugated iron sheets

have stayed good. It is only in places where the

rainwater has not found a way to get to the

ground easily that one finds problems of

seepage and termites. A whole bookshelf in the

Divisional Commissioner’s office was eaten up

by termites. A new staircase was added

sometime in the 1940’s. It is around this time in

1949 that the new Prime Minister of

Independent India addressed a gathering of

Legislators on October 6 late at 10-30 in the

night. “In that historic speech, Nehru had warned

that however important a state's independence and

development may be, it should never overshadow

India's unity. He had asked the people of

Maharashtra to develop a modern approach. He had

asked his countrymen to alter themselves and walk

in line with the ever-changing and developing

world.”4

During the recent inauguration of the

building on 25 11 2011 the Chief Minister of

Maharashtra Mr. Prithviraj Chauhan was

briefed about the above details and he

reiterated the need to celebrate the 75th

Anniversary year of the Maharashtra Legislature

with events and programmes that would

reassert the importance of the place and the

events that have made it so.

References: 1 Mubarak Ansari in www, Punelifestyle.com

2 Times of India archives

3 PWD Volume 561 1869-1889

4 Times of India archives

PROJECT CREDITS

Construction of New Office Building (Divi

November 2011 )

Chief Engineer P.W. Region Pune

N. H. Jalkote

Superintending Engineer P.W. Circle Pune

A. V. Deodhar

U.P. Debadwar

D. G. Malekar

Executive Engineer P.W.Division Pune

J.D. Kulkarni

Atul Chavan

A. D. Mohite (Electrical )

S. P. Pardeshi (Electrical )

Deputy Engineer

R.D. Lingawar

V.S. Tonde

J. A. Thorat (Electrical )

Sectional Engineer

D.B. Mule

Dattatray Pawar

N. V. Ghatge (Electrical )

Civil Engineer Assistant

Atul Joshi

Architects and Special Advisors for Heritage &

Building Concepts.

Kimaya

ARCHITECTS URBAN DESIGNERS CONSERVATIONISTS

VALUERS INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Anjali Kalamdani Kiran Kalamdani

Design Team; Tamanna Malu, Shomit Sarkar,

Sneha Sharma, Supriya Karkare, Santoshi Tekki,

Prajakta Deshpande, Venkatesh, Priyadarshan

Gulawni, Neha Karbhari.

The Council Hall Annexe – an artists impression of the building

on of New Office Building (Divisional Commissioner ) Council Hall @ Pune-1 (August 2009 To

Superintending Engineer P.W. Circle Pune

Executive Engineer P.W.Division Pune

Contractors

Shriya Constructions

Arun Shinde

Sunil Nahar

(project manager)

Dilip Raut Atul Terkar

(snr. engineer)

Pritesh Hingmire

(sr engineer)

Sandesh Patil

( store skipper)

Mahesh Pandit

(site supervisor)

Bhimraw Zende

Deputy Chief Architect PWD

Smt Kalpana Patil

Architects and Special Advisors for Heritage & Green

ARCHITECTS URBAN DESIGNERS CONSERVATIONISTS

alamdani

arkar, Pratika Patil,

ekki,

riyadarshan, Maitreyi

Divisional Commissioner Shri Dilip Band (IAS)

Collector Pune District Shri Chandrakant Dalvi; Shri Vikas

Deshmukh

FormerFinance Minister Government of Maharashtra

Walse Patil

Former Guardian Minister Pune District

Ajit Pawar

Deputy Chief Minister & Finance Minister

an artists impression of the building

1 (August 2009 To

Structural designers

Aniruddha Vanarase

For dome

Atul Rajwade

Gautam Kore

Shri Dilip Band (IAS)

Shri Chandrakant Dalvi; Shri Vikas

Finance Minister Government of Maharashtra Shri Dilip

Guardian Minister Pune District & Irrigation Minister, Shri

Deputy Chief Minister & Finance Minister Shri Ajit Pawar

Birds eye view showing the old and new buildings

site plan

site plan by Major melliss in 1869 above and proposed flooring layout below.above and proposed flooring layout below.

PLAN & SECTION OF THE 1871 BUILDINGBUILDING ABOVE PROPOSED VIW OF THE INTERIOR BELOW

PROPOSED VIW OF THE INTERIOR BELOW

The tower and a southwestern view of the New Annexe being

inaugurated on 25 11 2011

The Council Hall in use for various meetings of theDivisional

Commissioner – A close up of the Stained Glass