Amritsar, January 29
A local resident has written to the Central Government to implement terms and conditions of the MoU, signed between the ASI and the MC, to vacate the clubs, MC offices, vends and other encroachments from the Ram Bagh area also known as Company Garden.
Advocate PC Sharma demanded from the Ministry of Culture to direct the Archaeological Survey of India and the Municipal Corporation to work together to remove or shift MC’s offices, food kiosks, building with the Amritsar Lawn Tennis Association, skating rink and ban vehicles, food stalls in the Bagh.
“Ram Bagh has become a parking space for all kind of vehicles due to the negligence of MC. People are not only parking their vehicles in every corner of the Bagh, but food, juice, tea stalls can be seen everywhere. The intention of the Municipal Corporation is very much clear to destroy the environment of the garden in the interest of private players. If encroachments continue to grow in the garden, it will be hard to breathe inside the Company Bagh in the coming days,” said Sharma in his letter.
He alleged that crores of rupees had been spent by the government on its development and renovation of the heritage sites, but to no avail. Thousands of rats are harming trees. The environment is being polluted by placing badminton net in parks, causing serious threat to monuments.
“Ever since the agreement of Company Bagh was executed between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, on December 4, 2018, since then the condition of the Bagh is deteriorating day by day.
The Municipal Corporation didn’t hire any pest firm to treat termite-hit trees from falling, Sharma alleged.
