‘Wanted to make Darbar Sahib best among world religious sites’

CHANDIGARH: Sceptics were dismissive when deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal first talked about his plan on a mega facelift to the key corridor leading to iconic places in the walled city. But, within a year after the idea was conceived, the phase one of his dream project has come up, transforming a crowded road into a grandiose ‘heritage walkway’ in front the main entrance of Harmandar Sahib. A day before inaugurating the high-profile project, Sukhbir shared with HT the concept and challenges in pulling off the most ambitious makeover that Amritsar has seen in the recent times. Excerpts:

HT: What inspired you to give a grand look to the streets around Golden Temple?

Sukhbir: Darbar Sahib is one of the world’s most pious sites and the holy city has to be the best. But chaos prevails around Darbar Sahib—litter, congestion, traffic snarls. In December last year, I was walking through the streets leading to the Darbar Sahib when I decided to make radical changes. People from across the world come here. Our heart lies there. It was a religious mission. I resolved to make it the best in the world. Now, this place radiates stateliness. What this project is all about? My objective was to get it back to its old glory—open space, cleanliness and grandeur. The Phase-1 is from Town Hall to Darbar Sahib. Phase-2 will be from Hall Gate to Town Hall. The façade of nearly 150 buildings around the heritage street has been recreated to make it appear as it must have 400 years back. We have preserved some heritage buildings, some of them existing for over two centuries. This is going to be a 2-km street, an island we have created, with European looks, world-class pathways, underground electricity cables, expanded path, and beautiful gullies. Now, pilgrimage to Darbar Sahib will be an experience people will never forget. We did this in the shortest possible time…this is a history we have created.

How did you achieve this target in such a short span?

I used to reach the site every 10 days and spend three hours to monitor quality, speed, and take on-the-spot decisions. Teams were set up under my principal secretary PS Aujala. Jaipur and Delhi-based architects were engaged. Every second day, I used to get real progress photographs. It was like a personal project…tight deadlines and strict monitoring got us through.

How will this area be maintained?

We have created Amritsar Tourism Development Authority under an Act. The CEO of this authority will have all the powers and the municipal corporation will have no jurisdiction. The government will impose a cess to generate funds for the upkeep of the heritage walk area. Nobody can change the facade without authority’s nod. It’s a no-vehicle zone now.

How big a boost religious tourism will get from this?

Boosting tourism was not even secondary objective. My only aim was to make our holy city the best. Using technology, Sikh history will be showcased regularly through four shows. Gatka show and police band will regale the pilgrims. A company will hold laser show daily at Town Hall. This will be a destination now. A giant LED screen, biggest in India, will be installed for live telecast from Darbar Sahib—shabadkirtan will resonate through the heritage walk.

› My objective was to get it back to its old glory — open space, cleanliness and grandeur