Attari visitors’ gallery won’t be complete before R-day
AMRITSAR: The construction of the new visitors’ gallery at the Attari border here has not only failed to meet its scheduled deadline, but hopes of Border Security Force (BSF) have also been dashed that it will be completed before January 26.
The new gallery is supposed to accommodate around 15,000 people, who come to see the retreat ceremony at the border.
The new U-shaped gallery will not only offer more seating space, but also give a better view to the audience for watching aggressive posturing and foot stomping of BSF jawans and Pakaistani Rangers, which has become an attraction for worldwide tourists.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) had sanctioned the project of extension of the gallery in October 2013 and the project was to be completed in 21 months since then.
However, the project kicked off in April 2015.
Talking to HT, a BSF official said, “The project is being handled by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and we can’t even predict about its completion date as the project has already delayed a lot. We had expected that the project would be completed in January 2018; before Republic Day, but I think it will not be possible for the CPWD as the only 80% work has been done so far.”
The official said that they are regularly reviewing the progress of the project.
Earlier, the ₹17-crore project of the ministry was expected by the BSF to be complete by November this year.
A BSF official said, “We are hopeful that with chairs, we would be able to accommodate around 13,000-14,000 people in the new gallery whereas without chairs, the capacity will exceed to 20,000.” Apart from the gallery, new washrooms, a conference hall, a CCTV room, toilets, dining hall, guard room, dormitory and a kitchen are also being built at the place. Being a highly sensitive area, the gallery will have high-tech CCTV cameras and other security provisions.