Trust takes over Saragarhi Memorial

FEROZEPUR: The Saragrahi Memorial Management Trust (SMMT), as per a notification issued by the Punjab governor, took over the historical Saragarhi Memorial at Ferozepur during a meeting here on Friday.

Issues regarding improvement in the basic infrastructure of Saragarhi and arranging a light and sound programme were discussed.

Earlier the state cabinet had cancelled the previous SAD-BJP government’s orders to entrust the gurdwara management to Baba Nand Singh Gurdwara, Nanaksar Kaleran, Jagraon, for 30 years.

“The Saragarhi Gurudwara was included in the list of protected monuments under the archaeology department, but it was later removed,” said Captain Amarjit Singh Jaijee (retd), secretary, Saragrahi Memorials and Ethos Promotion Forum.

“We have asked chief minister Captain Amarinder to include the 100-year-old memorial in the list again to prevent future encroachments,” said Jaijee, who was also present in the meeting.

“No private player should be given it’s control and a Trust should be constituted with a corpus fund to maintain the monument independently,” Jaijee said. “The state government and all the battalions under the aegis of Sikh Regimental Centre should contribute to the fund,” he said.