Preserve city’s heritage character: Residents

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 20

The city celebrated the World Heritage Day three days ago with fervour but it has not much to rejoice as it still struggles to maintain its heritage character.

Gurinder Singh Johal, a veteran guide, said there had been a continuous loss of heritage sites to private hands in the walled city. The heritage character of the city is being changed as more people prefer modern structures to heritage ones, he said. He sought its prohibition and a policy to identify the heritage structures and preserve these.

Acclaimed conservationist Balvinder Singh said there was a need to restore all 12 historic Darwazas (gates) of the holy city to their original look. He said due care of the aestheticity of the 18th century architecture must be taken while undertaking such preservation. Similarly, Qila Ahluwalia and Shivala Veer Bhan should also be restored.

HS Walia, retired vice principal of DAV College and member of Amritsar Heritage Lovers Society, said cultural heritage is a vast network of relations, wisdom, beliefs and ideologies and its manifestation in several forms such as building design and architecture, painting styles and frescos, textile and food, performing arts and literature, narratives and folk tales, sports and martial arts, music, theatre, language and modes of communication, flora fauna and other features of a region and the group of people living there.

APS Chatha, president, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association, said the heritage sites in the city should be publicised at the railway station and airport. “The Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh must be opened for public at the earliest. Cleanliness should be ensured,” he said, adding that opening of the Gobindgarh Fort, Heritage Village, War Museum and the Heritage Street had prolonged the stay of tourists in the city.