Ranjit Singh’s fort, palace out of bounds for tourists

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 28

A tardy pace of restoration has kept heritage spots associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh out of bounds for tourists.

Work on the Ram Bagh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s summer palace, has been going on since 2004. The case of the Gobindgarh fort is no different. The deadline to throw it open to the public has been extended several times.

The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama, set up at a cost of Rs 5 crore at the Ram Bagh, has failed to draw many visitors. According to panorama officials, barely 300 tourists visit it daily.

APS Chatha, who is in the hospitality industry, said thousands of tourists thronged the holy city every day but only a fraction of them went to see the panorama, mainly due to inadequate promotion.

Another historical site, Pul Kanjri or Pul Moran, was renovated as a sightseeing spot several years ago near Attari village. However, tourists don’t frequent this place due to poor connectivity between the city and the village.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today performed bhog of ‘akhand path’ to mark the Maharaja’s death anniversary.