The first conspicuous building to come into view is the Secretariat -- the largest of all forms of buildings in the complex (254 mt by 42 mt). Positioned at a sharp right angle to the mountain range, it is designed as a vast linear slab-like structure -- a workplace for 4000 people. An endless rhythm of balconies and louvre on it's linear facades punctuated in a subtle way by a deliberately asymmetrical composition of brise-soleil (a sun shading device). While a repetitive brise-soleil clads the five bays of the linear facade, the sixth bay, which contains the double-height rooms of the ministers has an asymmetrical pattern. The roofline has a playful composition of a restaurant block, a ramp and a terraced garden, to break the endless linearity.

At present, the Secretariat is shared by the two states of Punjab and Haryana with their own internal divisions.It is unfortunate that they have tampered with the external appearance of the Secretariat altering the design.