History

ORIGIN OF THE OFFICE OF PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT GENERAL, H.P.

1947 Office of A.G. (Punjab) was shifted from Lahore and was established at Shimla

01-11-1966 On reorganization of states the office of A.G. (Punjab) was renamed as Office of A.G. Punjab, Haryana, H.P. & Chandigarh

01-04-1969 Office of A.G., H.P. came into existence as a separate entity

01-03-1984 Offices bifurcated as a result of restructuring within the IA&AD and two offices A.G. (Audit) and Sr. Deputy Accountant General (A&E) came into existence under the overall administration of A.G.(Audit)

31-08-2004 Office of the Sr. Deputy Accountant General (LBA &A) came into existence under the overall control of Accountant General (Audit)

21-11-2007 Office of the Sr. Deputy Accountant General (A&E) was upgraded as Office of the Accountant General (A&E), Himachal Pradesh

17-01-2008 Office of the Accountant General (Audit) was upgraded as Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Himachal Pradesh

15-07-2011 Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit) degraded to the Office of the Accountant General (Audit), Himachal Pradesh

02-04-2012 Office of the Senior Deputy Accountant General (LBA&A) stands merged with the Office of the Accountant General (Audit), Himachal Pradesh

16-07-2012 Office of the Accountant General (Audit) upgraded as Office of the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Himachal Pradesh

The office of the Pr. Accountants General, Himachal Pradesh is housed in Gorton Castle Building perched on the top of its own hill. Gorton Castle is a very imposing structure originally constructed in the 19th century and named after its owner, Mr. Gorton, ICS, in 1840. After his death, the building passed on to various hands and lastly was owned by Sir James Walker, who wished to make it a hospital but proposal was later rejected due to non-suitability of site. Then the Government of India, purchased this building for Rs. 1,20,000 in 1900. The new building in present state was constructed in the year 1901-04 at a cost of Rs 11 lakhs under supervision of Maj H.F. Chesney, resident engineer, to house the imperial Civil Secretariat. Its magnificent stone structure has Gothic Architecture combined with Rajasthani features like balconies, chajjas and sand stone, Jallies which gives it a unique architectural outlook. Presently it houses offices of the Principal Accountant General (Audit) and Accountant General (A&E), Himachal Pradesh, Shimla. Over a period of century, the building has suffered massive wear and tear due to extreme weather conditions and all its building services had also outlived its life. In 2001, the then Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Government of India, took commendable initiative to restore the original magnificence and grandeur of this beautiful building. This challenging task was entrusted to CPWD unit of Shimla and CPWD carried out this restoration work very meticulously to restore the original glory of building by retaining its original features, style and architectural character. The work was started in 2001 and completed in September, 2003 and now this building is beautifying the skyline of Shimla and is equipped with all modern amenities and facilities required for smooth flow of office work. The Government of Himachal Pradesh has declared this building a National Heritage building during the year 2003.