SGPC plans to beautify parks at Golden Temple
APART FROM GROWING 400 VARIETIES OF FLOWERS, HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PLANTS WILL ALSO BE GROWN AT THE PARKS, AS PER THE BLUEPRINT PREPARED BY EXPERTS
AMRITSAR: Devotees will now be able to enjoy fragrance of as many as 400 varieties of flowers at the Golden Temple’s parks, which are all set to get a facelift.
The two parks are situated between the Langar Hall and the Manji Sahib Diwan Hall. The path connecting both the halls separates both the parks where flowers and other plants are planted.
“As these parks are very important in view of their location, the executive panel of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) approved the proposal of beautifying them during the last meeting chaired by president Gobind Singh Longowal,” said Roop Singh, chief secretary.
The SGPC, which manages the affairs of the Sikh shrines including the Golden Temple, has decided to revamp the parks to enhance beauty of the shrine, spreading fragrance inside the complex and reducing air pollution, he said.
EXPERTS INVOLVED
The apex gurdwara body is taking services of landscaping and horticulture experts, including Dr Jagir Singh Arora, former dean of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga, horticulture adviser, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, environmentalist Swami Ji Hoshiarpur Wale and engineer BS Bhulana.
This project has been proposed to be executed under‘kar sewa’ and supervised by Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale.
Besides conducting a meeting with the SGPC officials, these experts also visited both the parks on Monday to take stock of their present condition and discussed the project.
Apart from the flower varieties, herbal and medicinal plants will also be grown at the parks, as per the blueprint prepared by experts and shared with the SGPC officials.
“There will be certain types of the plants which release oxygen for 24 hours. Besides, the plants will be evergreen,” said Dr Arora who, along with other experts, is rendering his services voluntarily.
The SGPC officials, including Jagjit Singh Jaggi, personal secretary of Longowal and secretary Manjit Singh, told that work would start very soon to revamp the parks.
PILLARS WITH FOUNTAINS
Roop Singh said pillars will be erected on all the four corners of the park. Each pillar will be 10 feet tall with a radius of 20 feet.
Besides, a fountain will be put up on top of each pillar and lighting would also be provided for decoration. “To protect beauty of the park, common devotees would not be allowed to enter,” he added.