Shah to inaugurate ‘Bharat Darshan Park’ in city today
Union home minister Amit Shah will inaugurate on Saturday the ‘Bharat Darshan Park’ in Delhi which showcases attractive replicas of several iconic monuments of India built with scrap and waste material, officials said on Friday.
The recreational garden, built by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation on ‘waste-towealth’ model, is being opened after some delay and ahead of the civic polls in Delhi due early next year.
Spread over eight acres, the park will have replicas of several monuments, including Qutab Minar, Taj Mahal, Charminar, Gateway of India, Konark Temple, Nalanda ruins, Mysore Palace, Meenakshi Temple, Hampi, Victoria Memorial Hall, Sanchi Stupa, Gol Gumbaz, Ajanta and Ellora Caves, and Hawa Mahal.
The sprawling park, which was earlier expected to be opened by October-end, was originally planned to include a replica of the Golden Temple in Amritsar too.
“The park, opening tomorrow, does not have the replica of the Golden Temple,” South Delhi Mayor Mukesh Suryan said.
A controversy had erupted in June over the construction of the planned replica of the revered Sikh shrine in the park, located in Punjabi Bagh area in south Delhi, following which it was removed.
Suryan had said early October that talks were on with senior Sikh leaders to ensure the replica of the Golden Temple was also installed after reaching an agreement.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa late June had claimed that the replica of the temple being built at the park had been “dismantled” as it was against “Sikh decorum”. He had also tweeted about it and shared pictures of the site.
Suryan, however, had said later that the replica was just “removed” from its planned spot at the park, and efforts were on to have it installed after due consensus. “The theme of the park is ‘Unity and Diversity’ and these artworks show utmost respect to our monuments and cultural heritage,” he said, adding the expenditure on this project is about `16 crore.