Govt plans to use fort as national museum to promote tourismAfter a wait of more than 150 years, the Army today handed over the historic Gobindgarh Fort, which had been in its possession since 1849, to the civic administration. The decision, which was taken after several meetings between the bureaucracy, Army and political leaders, has brought cheers among the people who had been waiting to have an access to the legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The government now plans to use the fort as a national museum to promote tourism in the state. Earlier, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had handed over the keys of the fort to the then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in 2006, but it had still remained inaccessible to the people. Today, Maj-Gen PS Paul, General Officer Commanding, Panther Division, handed over the control to Deputy Commissioner K S Pannu. Addressing a gathering, Maj-Gen Paul said the fort, built in 1760, was named after Guru Gobind Singh by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and occupied a place of pride in the Indian history. He added that the Army had done its best to preserve the legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh with whatever resources were available with them. “The fort was initially known as ‘Bhangian Da Qila’ as bhangis were one of the 12 Sikh misls,” he said. Pannu said the fort came under the control of the Army in 1849, when the British annexed Punjab after Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death. “However, the Indian Army took over it in 1948 and 26 units had been stationed here since then,” the DC said. He added that an understanding has been reached with the Army, which would still hold a part of the fort. “This part has been properly segregated with the help of a wall, and a special road has been constructed to provide a separate entry,” he said. The DC said the government was now faced with the monumental task of conservation and generation of funds for the upkeep of the fort. He said some of the landmarks inside the fort that need immediate attention include bungalow of General O’ Dyer and the Durbar Hall. Its important attractions include the ‘toshkhana’ or the treasury that was also used for storing provisions for the Maharaja’s army, Nalwa Gate and the Keelar Gate. Fort may hit silver screen, says DCClaiming that Bollywood has evinced keen interest in Amritsar, DC K S Pannu today said the historic fort was likely to be featured in movies and serials. “Being associated with the legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who has always attracted filmmakers, the place is historically and architecturally important, which is why we are expecting that it may feature in several movies soon,” he said.
