| Khalsa Heritage Project: Govt yet to select agency for designing exhibit gallery |
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| Written by Megha Mann, Tribune News Service, Anandpur Sahib | |
| Monday, 10 September 2007 | |
 As the stipulated period (December) for completing the Anandpur Sahib Khalsa Heritage Project is nearing, the state government is yet to decide the agency that will design an exhibit gallery and museum of this coveted project.The project,the foundation stone of which was laid in 1998, ran into rough weather with a plethora of fund crunches before the consortium of five banks came to its rescue in 2004.Out of the Rs 48 crore sanctioned by the Central government, the Anandpur Sahib Foundation has already received Rs 13.72 crore. The consortium of banks, led by Punjab National Bank, had so far released Rs 48 crore out Rs 100 crore sanctioned for it. The Congress government had claimed to complete the project by September 2004 to coincide with the 400th year of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib at Darbar Sahib, Amritsar. Earlier, the National Institute of Design (NID), Hyderabad, has conducted a study on Sikh history. It has been decided to showcase Sikh history from the period of Guru Nanak Dev's birth to the constitution of Misl in the sect. However, with the construction work near completion, the government is yet to decide which agency should be roped in to design the interiors. One more agency, A.B.Design Habit from New Delhi, has emerged as a strong contender for visualising the gallery and the museum. Sources in the department pointed out that NID, Hyderabad, had urged the government to sanction the payment in advance, while A.B. Design Habit has agreed upon taking the payment during the course of work or after it gets completed. Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie, who happens to be the project designer, had during his earlier visit apprised the Chief Minister of completing the project by February, 2009. The heritage project, when completed, will be one of largest interpretive historic museums in the world with over 5,000 sq m of the exhibit area. The museum is inspired by Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. However, chief executive officer of the foundation D.S.Kala was not available for comments despite repeated attempts. |
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