10/4/2008 10:23:18 PM

The restoration work of the historic Gobindgarh Fort has been completed and the Army will formally hand it over to the Civil Administration for opening it to the general public after half a century on October 6.

It may be recalled that on December 20, 2006, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had handed over the key of the fort to the then Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh at a public function held here. However, the process got delayed due to shifting of the belongings of the Army.

Earlier, the Army had fixed October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti) for handing over the fort. However, a meeting held between deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu and senior Army officers decided to postpone it to October 6.

Talking to The Tribune, the DC said the Army wanted a suitable function to be organised in the fort premises to mark the handing-over ceremony. The DC had been able to sort out the nitty-gritties with senior Army officers stationed in the fort garrison.

The Army establishments in the fort will be properly segregated to give safety to their unit and also provide a suitable camouflage by raising a wall at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore. A special road has also been constructed to provide a separate entry to the Army establishments.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism had already earmarked a restoration fund of Rs 2.50 crore that had been lying with the administration and would be used for proper facelifting and conservation of this historic monument, which once housed the residence of the tyrannical British army General O’Dyre, who was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

The Central government had agreed in principle to hand over the historic monument as a place of tourist attraction to the Punjab government and also to release sufficient funds for its proper restoration and revamping.

The fort also houses the infamous “phansi ghar” where General O’Dyre used to see the hangings of Indian freedom fighters who were arrested for raising voice for the country’s freedom. Built in 1760, it was called Bhangian da Kila (Bhangis was one of the 12 Sikh misles).

According to historians, in 1808 the fort was known as the fort of Gujjar Singh Bhangi. Later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh rebuilt it with the help of Jodh Singh. The legendary Maharaja fortified the fort to keep his treasures and treaties safely.

The majestic entrance has been named Nalwa Gate, after the great Sikh warrior. The other end of the gate is known as Keelar Gate and it is rumoured that in its proximity existed an escape tunnel, connecting it to a tunnel in Lahore. However, the Army authorities said they had not been able to locate any such tunnel so far. The British army had added Darbar Hall, Hawa Mahal and “phansi ghar” to the fort after the annexation of Punjab.