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
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
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