Amritsar’s heritage facing major threat from human-induced disasters, feel experts

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, April 17

Despite awareness and efforts to preserve the rich heritage of the holy city, conservation experts, heritage activists and city residents are not satisfied with the present status of monuments, heritage buildings and sites.

From Sikh Gurus, Mughals, Sikh Misls, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa Raj to the British era, the city has a rich heritage. Heritage buildings, sites and localities in the city are facing a serious threat of social invasion, modernisation and commercialisation. But ironically, there is no local authority to take care of city’s heritage.

The Pakistan government has taken a great initiative to constitute Walled City Lahore Authority. We also need such authority in the city otherwise it will lose its entire heritage within the next few years. The havelies, chajja houses, traditional markets places and several other sites in the walled city need to be preserved. —Michael Rahul, Heritage activist

Conservation experts and heritage activists have been demanding to make a law on the pattern of the UK or constitute a heritage board for the preservation of monuments and sites. This year the theme for World Heritage Day, also known as International Day for Monuments and Sites, is ‘Heritage and Climate’. Experts are discussing climate and human-induced disaster apart from knowledge to fight climate change. Meanwhile, the city’s heritage is facing major threat from human-induced disasters. The centuries-old houses and sites are being demolished to construct hotels in the walled city.

Dr Balvinder Singh, former head of the department at Guru Ramdas school of planning at Guru Nanak Dev University and Adviser, Indian Heritage Cities Network (UNESCO), said: “The heritage character of the city is being transformed for commercial purpose. A large number of hotels are calling for disaster. In case of a stampede, fire or any other disaster in the walled city, we have to pay the price of this negligence. Hotels and over-commercialisation are ruining the city. Chowk Passian is more than 400-year-old and the first locality of the city. Now, social invasion has changed its character.”

Dr Balvinder Singh suggested that there should legislation and its enforcement to save the city. “The Listed Building Conservation Act, 1990, helped the UK government in saving their heritage. We need such law and its implementation. The old buildings, localities and sites should be listed under this act and the government has to protect these. There should be a heritage cell in the Municipal Corporation to keep a check. Change of Land Use (CLU) should not be issued in the MC. More hotels in the walled city would be a disaster and add pressure on the climate.”

The activists in the city have been demanding to list Amritsar as a World Heritage City, but no government is making efforts in this regard.

Michael Rahul, a heritage activist, said: “The Pakistan government has taken a great initiative to constitute Walled City Lahore Authority (WCLA). We also need such authority in the city otherwise it will lose its entire heritage within the next few years. The havelies, chajja houses, traditional markets places and several other sites in the walled city need to be preserved.”

Advocate Kuljit Singh, an office-bearer of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Virasat Manch, said: “Instead of preserving heritage sites, government officials have been supporting encroachers in Rambagh, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) preserved heritage site. Funds are being wasted in the name of conservation, but encroachments are not being removed. There should be strict law and its enforcement if we want to save our heritage.”