Ferozepur: Memorials on this border city inform a story of ‘unkept’ guarantees : The Tribune India

Our Correspondent

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, October 16

Notwithstanding the change of guard in the state, the historic memorials situated in this border district continue to reel under apathy and neglect. To date, successive state governments have failed to develop and beautify these memorials which exhibit the indomitable spirit of sacrifice and valour.

These include the Anglo-Sikh war memorials at Ferozshah, Mudki and Sabraon, the Saragarhi Memorial, the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala, besides the secret hideout of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. All these sacred places are crying for attention and depict a tale of “unkept” promises.

Most of the pronouncements made by visiting dignitaries over the last seven decades to develop these places have remained mere lip service as practically nothing has been accomplished on ground. The only silver lining has been the commissioning of a light and sound system in Hussainiwala, where a simulation train coach, reminiscent of a train ride to Peshawar during the pre-partition era, has been set up under the “Swadesh Darshan” scheme of the Centre.

The process to develop the secret hideout of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary comrades situated in city, which is believed to be the headquarters of the “Krantikari Party”, has also not gained any momentum even though the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs had issued a notification to list the site under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1964.

The historic Anglo-Sikh War Museum, constructed in memory of valiant Sikh soldiers who died during the Anglo-Sikh wars of 1845-46, portrays a picture of apathy and neglect. Located on the banks of twin canals on NH-95, the memorial stands “alone” on the actual war site, where the two of these wars were fought.

The state government had released a grant of Rs 1 crore for the development of Saragarhi Memorial, but it has remained unutilised for the past three years. Former IAS officer Kulbir Singh Sidhu, who was posted here as the Commissioner, said, “It is ironic that till date neither have we developed these sacred places, nor have we been able to secure national heritage status for these memorials. I had taken up the matter with the Archaeological Survey of India to notify these sites as monuments of national importance, however, after my transfer, the authorities did not evince any interest.”

In 2018, the then Local Bodies and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, during his visit to the district, had announced that the government would allocate sufficient funds for the development of the historic memorials and efforts would be made to get them the status of national importance.

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