Heritage lovers against civil work in moat around Gobindgarh Fort

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 18

Heritage experts in the city are against the ongoing civil work in the moat encircling the 18th century Gobindgarh Fort, a fine specimen of war preparation during the period of Sikh Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

As per the plan, a new small water channel, walkway and landscaping will be raised in it. They rue that it will alter the original heritage architecture.

It has left the heritage lovers fuming who say that changing the historic character of any monument is against both national and international rules.

Heritage Conservationist Balvinder Singh said the National Commission on Urbanisation, in its reports published in 1988, had categorically stated that neither an elevated road nor a flyover or a road widening scheme should be allowed in historic towns.

Quoting guidelines of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), issued in 1987, he said that it categorically stated that any activity that destroyed the historic character of the town should not be allowed by the government. He suggested that conservation and development should go hand in hand and originality must be maintained at any cost.

A heritage lover, Sandeep Singh, said it would be an extremely tough and expensive task for the government to maintain about four-foot wide and equally deep water way in the moat. In addition, it will be a stress on fast depleting water table.

The then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the city, had personally given the keys of the fort to the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in December 2006. After the conclusion of all formalities, the Army garrison stationed in the fort had handed over its possession to the Department of Tourism, Punjab, in October 2008.

Originally raised by the Bhangi Misl rulers, one of the 12 Sikh Misls, in 1760, the fort was conquered by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1825 and it remained under his occupation till the British took over in 1845.

The Maharaja had named the fort as Qila Gobindgarh after the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh.

Later, the Maharaja’s european generals and advisers had introduced new features, especially european defence mechanism, in the fort. For instance, the fort had extensive moats dug around it as last-ditch defences and the outer walls were inwardly inclined to facilitate the deflection of cannon ball. During the conservation work, a drain was discovered underneath which falls in the moat.

When contacted, officials of the Tourism Department said the undergoing work would add to the green cover of the city and the heritage fort would be known as next green lung here.