Children’s park, zoo handed over to pvt firm

PK Jaiswar

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 9

Despite opposition from various quarters of society, Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi today formally handed over the children’s park and zoo at the historic Ram Bagh to a private concern amidst protest by workers and leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

They showed black flags at the entrance gate of the garden, which was closed by the police, in view of the protest call by the AAP. They raised slogans against Joshi and the Punjab government alleging high-handedness on their part while giving charge of the heritage park to a private amusement firm.

Meanwhile, city Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and Municipal Commissioner were conspicuous due to their absence at the programme. They had opposed the Amritsar Improvement Trust’s move of handing over the park to a private firm.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) were custodians of Ram Bagh and the summer palace of legendry Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was declared a monument of national importance in October 2004.

AAP activist Ravinder Sharma alleged that the Punjab government was working as land mafia, which was proved by privatising the historical park. He alleged that there seems some vested interest of the Minister otherwise what was the reason for privatising it.

“If the government can spend Rs 5 crore for revamping the children park and zoo, then it can also maintain it,” he added.

“The only reason for commercialising the public park is to benefit his near and dear ones,” he alleged.

He said empty chairs in the pandal erected for the inaugural programme showed mood of the people, who were pained by the move. Though the programme was delayed by over an hour, leaders of the BJP were seen struggling to gather people for the inaugural event.

A controversy had erupted after the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) decided to hand the revamped children’s park and zoo to private amusement park authorities. The MC had handed the children’s park and zoo to the AIT for carrying out development works, but it was not authorised to further hand it over to any third party.

Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said it was mandatory to pass a resolution in the MC House meeting before taking any such decision. However, no such resolution was passed by the MC house recently, he added. He said an agreement was reached only to maintain and develop Ram Bagh and not to hand it over to private hands for commercial purposes. MC Commissioner Sonali Giri also denied passing any such resolution by the civic body.

The AIT chairman, Suresh Mahajan, said the trust had sought further directions from the Punjab government over the issue after the MC objected over handing over the park to a private firm.

An ASI official Bhanu Partap Singh said he had written to superintendent archaeologist about the issue.

The AIT has leased out park for 11 years after the private firm deposited Rs 25 lakh as fee, which is refundable after expiry of the period. The people will have to purchase entrance tickets at Rs 5 per person. They will have to pay Rs 10 for any ride. They will also have to pay for boating or riding a track train. Besides, visitors will have to shell out Rs 5 as parking fee for a scooter/ bike and Rs 10 for a car.

Congress joins the chorus

Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in the MC House Rajkanwal Preet Paul Singh Lucky said Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi had given a political colour to the national monument by giving possession of the children’s park and zoo to private hands illegally. The historic monument was made a private property by the ruling government, he said.

In a statement here today he alleged that the local MC authorities and the AIT had bowed to the pressure of the Local Bodies Minister. On the pretext of carrying out development works in the historic Company Bagh its character was destroyed by the AIT, he added.