After years of delay, the ambitious project of Beant Singh Memorial has finally gained some momentum. The executive committee of Beant Singh Memorial and Chandigarh Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, Sector 42 on Monday gave the approval of the conceptual drawings for the remaining buildings of Beant Singh Memorial.
These buildings are Sarvdharam Repository, Cafeteria, Exhibition-cum-Multipurpose Hall, Guest House and Convention Centre-cum-Auditorium Block and Parking. The meeting of the executive committee of Beant Singh Memorial and Chandigarh Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, Sector 42 was held on Monday under the chairmanship of KK Sharma, Adviser to the UT Administrator.
During the meeting, the representative of Punjab Government agreed to release the balance funds to the tune of Rs4 crore after June when the budget is passed. Meant to be a tribute to the former chief minister Beant Singh, who was killed by the very forces he had fought against so courageously to relieve Punjab of the scourge of militancy, the memorial has been languishing in doldrums since past 12 years.
A senior official of the UT Administration said that a consultant will now be hired for the interior work of these buildings. During the meeting, the UT Chief Engineer was directed to prepare the rough cost estimate for the construction of these buildings and also indicate the funds required during the current financial year so that budgetary approval may be obtained from the Governing Body of Beant Singh Memorial.
The official informed that the library, Samadhi and Open Air Theatre have already been constructed and Media Centre is under construction at the memorial. Since, construction and interior work of the library has been completed, it was decided in the meeting that with the help of experts from Panjab University and various Arts and Cultural organisations, books will be selected for the library.
Also, for the inauguration of library, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator will be requested shortly. For day-to-day working of the Beant Singh Memorial, required staff will be outsourced. Notably, the UT Administration and the Punjab Government had in 1996, planned to convert the memorial into a convention centre for cultural activities. Additional 8 acres of land was acquired to construct a Sarvdharam centre, a public library, a media centre, an exhibition hall for visual art, an open-air theatre and an auditorium for performing arts. In all these years, not much development has taken place, for the completion of the memorial.