Chandigarh,   A meeting was held here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Dharam Pal, Adviser to the Administrator, and senior officials of the Chandigarh administration with a French expert team to discuss about the plan of action to protect, preserve and restore the heritage items.

The meeting was long due to seek guidance on various issues of heritage items.

The French government has now sent its 10-member expert team headed by Brigittee Bouvier, Director at Fondation Le Corbusier.

The team comprising conservation scientist, heritage restorer, conservation architect, representatives from French Central Director of the Judicial Police, architects and Inspector General of Historic Monuments for the French Ministry of Culture. They would be in the city till November 19 to guide the administration in preserving the heritage items.

In 2016, a committee titled 'Heritage Items Protection Cell' was constituted to meet the objective of protecting, conserving and preserving heritage furniture items.

This committee was reconstituted in 2019.

Further in March, 2020, a Heritage Items Identification & Inspection Committee (HIIIC) was formed under the chairmanship of a Senior Architect, UT, Chandigarh.

The expert team would assist the administration in establishing in authenticity of heritage items, tagging of the items, guide in legal protection of heritage items, and help in laying guidelines or process to be followed for their conservation and restoration.

During the five-day visit, the French team would be personally visiting various sites to identify the heritage items and will be holding series of meetings with nodal officers appointed by different departments, institutions and offices, an official statement said.