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SGPC draws flak for ‘trying to dismantle’ tunnel-like structures excavated at Golden Temple
Former member demands a thorough investigation into the matter; others say sites can be a great tourist attraction
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) along with voluntary organisation Kar Sewa has drawn a flak for allegedly not taking the tunnel-like old structures found during excavation in the Golden Temple complex seriously and trying to raze them.
This despite SGPC president Jagir Kaur’s assurance in the wake of protests that the structures will be preserved, if found historical.
Former SGPC member Jaswinder Singh demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
US-based Sikh activist Sameep Singh, who hails from Amritsar, said, “No one got serious until some people staged protests. Surprisingly, the gurdwara body and the Kar Sewa were ready to destroy the structures as some of them with old bricks have been found broken. Why they do not understand the significance of heritage?”
He added, “These tunnels can be a great tourist attraction. I have read about a tunnel that reaches the Gobindgarh fort from one of Ramgarhia Bungas but it was closed after Operation Bluestar. Some efforts can be made to reopen them”.
In a video shared on Facebook, gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidha said, “They have already destroyed precious heritage of the community. Now, they were about to damage another historic structure. Sikh activists were manhandled when they opposed it.”
In a letter to the SGPC, Amritsar Vikas Manch, an NGO, said, “The structures found at the excavated site seem to be centuries-old. Though experts are better placed to say anything conclusive, these remind us of the turmoil of the period. Sikhs might have constructed the underground dwellings and tunnel-like structures when they had to protect Sri Harmandir Sahib from the invaders.”
“If experts say these buildings are basement of ‘bungas’, even then they are of great historical and religious importance. Being unique, they can be instrumental in boosting the tourism industry in the city,” said Amritsar Vikas Manch patron Kulwant Singh Ankhi.
Harjap Singh Aujla, an eminent engineer, said these are not tunnels, but rooms of some of the 84 bungas or serais that existed at these places for more than 250 years. “The arches are of the roofs. During those days, flat timber beam and cross purlins were not used as part of flat roofs. These are remains of the underground parts of the bungas. These are precious archaeological sites and should be protected,” he added.
