|
Written by Varinder Walia, Tribune News Service
|
|
Thursday, 19 July 2007 |
 A view of the demolished Baradari at Ram Bagh, summer palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in Amritsar on Wednesday.
Heritage lovers of the holy city were shocked to see the only existing Baradari (canopy) in the historical Rambagh, constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, demolished by the Archaeological Survey of India without taking the local administration and NGOs into confidence.
The other three Baradaris in Ram Bagh are already damaged with the passage of time. Deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu immediately sent Manpreet Singh Chhatwal, SDM, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the demolition of the structure. In his preliminary inquiry, the SDM reported that the department concerned had played havoc with the heritage building by demolishing the Baradari. The SDM also spoke to Ram Lal, general manager, ASI, who claimed that the Baradari was demolished brick by brick and the department would restore it back to its “original shape” through remodelling (recasting).
Conservationist Balvinder Singh, however, said the attempt to re-construct the heritage structure was against the spirit of conservation. Quoting world -renowned conservationists, he said the department concerned should have preserved the structure in its original shape instead of demolishing it. He said conservationists’ duty was to prolong the life of old, dilapidated buildings by saving them from further damage and decay adding demolition was no solution to the problem. Coming down heavily on the department, principal of Springdale School Manveen Sandhu said, “It’s extremely shocking to discover that the only existing Baradari (canopy) in Ram Bagh has been demolished”. She called upon the heritage lovers to come on a single platform to save the historical garden, which served as the Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, from further vandalisation. State president of INTACH Sukhdev Singh said local conservationists should have been involved before demolishing the Baradari. He said it would be difficult to bring the structure to its original shape during remodelling.
Brij Bedi, president, Citizen Forum, while criticising the demolition of Baradari recommended public participation to restore the historical Ram Bagh. He said a committee comprising local conservationists and heritage lovers be formed to preserve other buildings in Ram Bagh, which are on the verge of collapse.
Earlier, conservation architects had claimed that they had found original layers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time in the Summer Palace of the Maharaja at the time of digging . They had also found an earthen sanitation system, prevalent in those days, during the intensive digging operation.
The plants and trees in Ram Bagh, which was constructed on the pattern of Lahore’s famous Gulmargh Bagh, are also a facing threat to their existence.
| Comments () >> |
 |
| Write comment |
| You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. |
 |
