Various experts and heritage lovers urged the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to set up Guru Ramdass Urban Welfare & Aesthetical Conservation Centre (GURUWACC) comprising of conservationists and heritage experts for renovation or development of historical gurdwaras.

They were speaking on a special function to mark the World Heritage Day organised by the Punjab Heritage and Education Foundation Chandigarh at local Ashoka Sr. Sec. School here.

Prof Manjit Singh, a heritage specialist from Guru Ramdass School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, while stressing said that there was an urgent need to form a comprehensive conservation policy for the upkeep of former princely states of Punjab like Nabha, Sangrur, Patiala, Kapurthala etc having great heritage value.

He also emphasised over preservation of cultural villages like Bhakna, Kotla Sultan Singh, the native place of Mohammed Rafi.

The professor introduced a hitherto unknown name Patthewind (near Jamarai on the west banks of the Beas) which according to him was the native village of Guru Nanak Dev since his father Mehta Kallu belonged to that place and it should be brought on the tourist/pilgrimage map of the district like Pahuwind, Sur Singh, Baserkay, Guru ki Wadali etc.

Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, vice-president of the foundation, said that the flag of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh National Memorial Hill Park Asron (near Ropar) where he signed a treaty with the British should be protected from planned demolition because it is an important element of Punjab Heritage.

Prof Mohan Singh, former lecturer Khalsa College and project chairman of the foundation reiterated his demand to maintain Amritsar heritage structures like Qila Gobindgarh and Rambagh much on the lines of Lahore heritage which, according to him, enjoyed lavish contributions not only from the state government there but also from international bodies like the World Bank.

Qila Gobindgarh should be converted into a central museum of Punjab, he viewed.

Dr Bikram Singh Ghuman, former Dean GNDU narrated his experiences from Australia where, he said, a citizens including young children, were fully aware of their brief history and culture and took all the care to conserve even the tiniest samples of their heritage.

He stressed upon the need to rewrite Punjab history and also to conserve fast depleting wetlands like Kanjli, Harike etc.

Jagdish Singh, educationist and director of SSSS Institutions, appreciating the initiative of the foundation exhorted young listeners to learn form history and to equip themselves with the ideal virtues taught by our forefathers because whatever they achieved today would acquire heritage value tomorrow.

A painting contest showing heritage structures was organized on the occasion and prizes were given away by Jagdish