Historic Ram Bagh’s beauty marred by weeds & neglect

As June 29, the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh approaches, the historic Summer Palace in Ram Bagh, once a symbol of royal grandeur, lies in utter neglect. Despite crores being spent on its conservation under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme and renovation of Summer Palace by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board, the parks are far from the condition they deserve to be in.

The 84-acre Ram Bagh, once a pristine quadrilateral garden (Chahar Bagh) around the Summer Palace of the Sikh ruler, now presents a grim picture. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is responsible for the park’s upkeep, reportedly has only one gardener to maintain the entire area under its control. Due to this chronic understaffing, wild growth of weeds, untrimmed shrubs and withering ornamental plants dominate the landscape.

The parks are not only overgrown and mismanaged, but also filthy and foul-smelling. Rats can be seen scurrying around in large numbers. According to regular visitors, leftover food from nearby clubs and visitors continues to attract rodents, worsening the situation. The Municipal Corporation, too, appears to have turned a blind eye to the garden’s dismal condition.

The Summer Palace itself, after 14 years of meticulous conservation work, was reopened as a museum by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board. While the building is under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the museum is managed by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Department. However, the project to construct a wall to link watch towers was incomplete due to encroachments in the garden.

Heritage lovers now urge immediate intervention from the state and Central authorities to clean up the park, remove encroachments and restore the dignity of one of Punjab’s most important historical landmarks.

Kuljit Singh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Virasat March, said while expressing his concern, “With the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh just days away, one would expect some attention to be given to such a historic site. Unfortunately, no one seems to be bothered.”

Shri Om, an office-bearer of the ASI, said, “We have written to the head office for the outsourcing of gardeners for the upkeep the parks. We will do a follow-up.”