Admn to revive Wada Ghallughara at Rohira

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, 16 June

Even after six years of its completion, the Wada Ghallughara memorial at Rohira village is yet to get its desired recognition. Though the construction of all wings was completed a long time ago, some of its sections are yet to be upgraded for their optimum use.

The district administration led by Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori has now decided to undertake modernisation and upgrade of certain features so that the visitors could gain maximum knowledge about the Sikh history.

On November 29, 2011, the then Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, had inaugurated the Ghallughara memorial. The memorial commemorated sacrifice of over 35,000 members of the Sikh community including children and women. They were massacred by the armed forces of Ahmad Shah Abdali on February 5, 1762. Spread in 11 acres of land the memorial included 110 feet high tower, open air theater, auditorium and information centre.

Though the construction of the memorial was completed a long time ago and it has been opened for the visitors too, but functioning of some of the buildings is yet to be started. Information centre and auditorium are two main attractions of the memorial, but both of these have not been equipped with historically important elements.

While visitors including NRIs and students from Punjab and neighbouring states have been coming to the memorial for long, the civil administration has now started organising awareness programmes here.

Executive Magistrate Badal Din said senior functionaries led by Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori and SDM Ahmedgarh Preety Yadav had recently visited the memorial and reviewed all arrangements at various sections of the memorial.