Heritage makeover for corridor to Golden Temple: Sukhbir

Amritsar, Punjab: Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today unveiled his plan to lend a heritage touch to the corridor (main approach road) leading to the Golden Temple by approving a change in its façade. The alteration will be carried out from the Hall Gate up to the shrine.

In the city to review development projects, Sukhbir walked through the lanes leading to the Golden Temple.

He ordered the officials to ensure that the entire stretch from the Hall Gate to the shrine be given heritage look in line with the Sikh tradition.

He said all shops and houses along the stretch be painted in same colour, besides installing identical signages.

He also directed them to use Nanakshahi bricks to construct bus shelters across the city.

Sukhbir said a joint committee of the Public Works and Cultural Affairs departments had been formed to review the list of 140 old structures identified by the municipal corporation for demolition in the city.

The committee would identify buildings with rare architecture for preservation and recommend only those with little heritage value for demolition.

Sukhbir also issued directions to install statues of martyrs from the Majha region in the city.

While reviewing work on the Golden Temple Entrance Plaza and other projects, Sukhbir asked the officials to complete the work within three months as he wanted to dedicate the plaza to the pilgrims before Diwali.

He also asked officials to engage tourist guides with multilingual skills to promote tourism and generate employment.

On the Personal Rapid Transit System (PRTS) project, he asked the PWD officials to prepare a plan to widen the Bhandari Bridge as it connected both sides of the city.

He also approved the eight-laning of the Bhandari Bridge-Guru Nanak Dev University road, six-laning of the Airport road and four-laning of the Circular road.

Besides, service lanes along the Amritsar-Ajnala road, Fatehgarh Churrian road and Amritsar-Batala road had been sanctioned.

He further ordered the construction of a railway overbridge on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran road to ease traffic congestion.

He was accompanied by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Navjot Kaur Sidhu and Inderbir Singh Bolaria.

Sidhu, who represents the Amritsar East Assembly constituency, termed the meeting with Sukhbir Badal “very good and productive”. She said the Deputy CM had promised generous funds to her constituency. She had earlier stated that she would take out a “pad yatra” from Amritsar to Chandigarh to remind Sukhbir of his promise to give Rs 100 crore grant to her constituency.

      The plan

1. The façade of the corridor from the Hall Gate up to the shrine will be altered
2. All shops, houses along the stretch to be painted in same colour
3. Tourist guides with multilingual skills will be employed
4. Three months given for completion of work on Golden Temple Entrance Plaza

Source: The Tribune

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