Kos Minars make GT road vulnerable to accidents

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 14

The two historic Kos Minars (milestones or mile pillars), located on the main GT Road near Cantonment police station, have made the stretch prone to accidents.

Due to the widening of roads for the construction of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project, these structures built in the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh are now placed in the middle of the road. Call it a negligence of drivers or the administration, a number of vehicles have hit these pillars. These have proved fatal sometimes for commuters.

A few days ago, a scooter-borne person collided into one of the minars. He was taken to hospital with critical head injury. According to the police, a number of such mishaps have occurred in the past.

Located near the railway station, these minars (towers) were built on the then Ajnala-Gobindgarh Fort stretch, now the GT road. Barring these two mile pillars, others have got destroyed over the years.

According to Dr Balvinder Singh, a conservation expert and former head of Guru Ram Dass School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), the Kos Minars of the Mughal era constructed on the original Grand Trunk road built by Emperor Sher Shah Suri have been preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India but those built by the legendary ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh face neglect.

“The best option available is to shift and relocate these minars to the roadside. The authorities should also put up a plaque containing the information in order to make the people aware regarding the importance of such minars. Only a handful of people know the importance of these structures,” he said, adding that he had already made a representation before senior district officials and requested them to save the relics.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Amrik Singh Powar said he would look into the issue. “The matter was not into my knowledge. Nobody has complained to the police so far. I will get the spot surveyed and, if necessary, the issue will be taken up with the district administration for relocation of the Kos Minars,” he said.