Historic Samundri Hall being renovated

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 25

For the first time after the 1984 Operation Bluestar, the historic Teja Singh Samundri Hall in the Golden Temple complex is being refurbished. Utmost care is being taken to preserve the bullet marks on its outer walls.

The Army operation to flush out militants from the complex had left the Akal Takht fully demolished while a number of other structures too were damaged — including the Teja Singh Samundri Hall, Darshani Deori, Nanak Niwas, Guru Ram Das Sarai and Dharam Parchar Committee office.

However, except those on the walls of Teja Singh Samundri Hall and Darshani Deori (entrance point to the Golden Temple sanctum sanctorum), bullet scars on other buildings could hardly be preserved. Many such marks were either patched up or filled with chemical paste later.

Officials said around 70 bullet marks on the façade and two sides of Teja Singh Samundri Hall had been covered, before a fresh coat of paint was being done on the building. Later, the portion with over a hundred bullet marks would be encircled with “steel frames” to identify the bullet holes as it is.

Holding the Central government liable, the SGPC has demanded Rs 1,000 crore as damages from the Delhi High Court. The court fee amounting to Rs 10 crore, was deposited by the SGPC in June 2013, and the hearing is still underway. Besides, the photographs of the damaged done have been preserved to substantiate the claim.

SGPC’s Chief Secretary Harcharan Singh said, “Besides still photography, we have captured the original damage done to the building and the bullet marks prominently through digital videography technique, as evidence in records.”