CHANDIGARH: The department of Tourism, Punjab will now promote the Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar as a National monument.

The fort was formally handed over by army authorities to the civil administration on October 6, 2008. The department has also sent a list of other heritage properties located at various places in Punjab to Chandigarh-based technical consultant, Infrastructure, Leasing and Finance Services (ILFS). ILFS will prepare a (Public Private Participation) PPP model for the same.

Surinder Bajaj, deputy director, Department of tourism, Punjab confirmed that Infrastructure, Leasing and Finance Services (ILFS) will prepare a PPP model of the heritage properties. However, the first priority will be to convert Gobindgarh Fort into a national monument and promote it for tourism purposes; for this, Central financial assistance will be sought.

Amritsar's Gobindgarh Fort was built in 1760 and is associated with the Sikh warrior king, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It has been in the army's possession from the British times (for nearly 150 years). The British authorities put the fort under army possession in 1849. The fort had been named by Maharaja Ranjit Singh after the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. A portion of the fort will still continue to be with the army for its use and the public will not have any access to this portion.