Rajnath Singh inaugurates upgraded spectator gallery at Attari

ATTARI: The upgraded spectator gallery to watch the 25-minute foot-stomping ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony of security forces of India and Pakistan during sunset at Attari-Wagah border was formally inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Attari, January 22

The upgraded spectator gallery to watch the 25-minute foot-stomping ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony of security forces of India and Pakistan during sunset at Attari-Wagah border was formally inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

Besides this, the home minister also laid the foundation stone of housing complex of 300 units for Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and unveiled the business related infrastructure at Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari, which is a gateway of bilateral trade between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The home minister said this is the first of the five ICPs in India, where the accommodation facility is being provided to BSF jawans.

Costing around Rs 25 crore, the project is aimed to be completed by December.

“We have made it mandatory to have provision of housing complex for BSF jawans in all the ICPs”, he said.

The gallery with its expansion offers a different experience.

Besides enhancing its seating capacity to 20,000, the new gallery offers a comfortable view with its horseshoe shape design. The sitting arrangement goes to 32-metre high pedestals.

Recently, new gates were installed on both sides of the border to enable the viewers to have a clear glimpse of the happenings on either sides of the border during the ceremony.

The excitement begins with the entry through the 80-foot high newly raised Swarn Jyanti Dwar having a milestone saying “Pakistan Next Step”.

Incidentally, Rajnath Singh had laid the foundation stone of the gallery expansion project on March 22, 2015, and the construction was started in May 2015.

According to former Superintending Engineer of CPWD Nand Lal, under whose supervision the new gallery came into being, the new gallery cost around Rs 37 crore, including the new gate to complete the project in five phases.

It also has a conference hall with the latest equipment, lounges, dining space, suites, medical room, public conveniences for men, women and disabled, ample parking area and a control room, along with a sound system, for proper acoustics and a network of CCTV cameras.

Others present on the occasion included Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik, state Education Minister OP Soni, BSF Director General RK Mishra and Chairman of Land Port Authority of India Anil Kumar Bambah.