PATIALA: Ms. Gurmeet Rai, Director, Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative Wednesday criticised prestigious 5.35 KM Elevated Road Project to Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) at a cost of Rs.173 crore. 'It will be disastrous to maintain our cultural hearitage", she said. 

Gurmeet Rai was here to attend a seminar on Punjab handicrafts held at Punjabi University organised by Patiala Heritage Society on the eve of heritage festival. 

She said that it will create further traffic chaos near by Darbar Sahib Complex. She said that sanctity of Darbar sahib and will create disturbance when vehicles goes down directly to Darbar Sahib, it will be disastrous, she added.

She however lamented for not getting World Heritage Status (WHS) tag for the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

She said the director general of the ASI had allayed fears of government interference. she said ASI had written to SGPC that the government of India would not have any role in the management of the temple. "The management of the Golden Temple will continue to remain with the SGPC and there will be no change", she said.

She added that even UNESCO had written to the SGPC saying there would be no change in the management of the shrine. The UNESCO deputed Emmanuel Haque, an architect-conservationist from Bangladesh for it.

Regarding demolition of old structure in Nanded in Maharashtra- the surroundings of Gurdwara Hazur Sahib she said that the management has now ready to maintain status co some part of Baradari but they have already demolished the Ramgarhia Bunga.

Ms. Rai said   "The threat to the historical built heritage has started as the Gurdwara and state authorities have started to bulldoze monuments in reparation for modern buildings …The proposed plan lacks adequate sensitivity to the heritage buildings…" 

She said that a team of conservation architects and urban designers visited the site slated for construction of large buildings and wide-open spaces, referred to as a Galiyara, around the inner sanctum. They examined historic buildings within the precinct of Hazur Sahib and noted the ones threatened to be demolished. 

Rai said that Ramgarhia Bunga – "a unique example of vernacular architecture." It is threatened by demolition and digging too close to its structure. The structure was built during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to provide accommodation to the masons who arrived from Punjab to build the inner sanctum of Hazur Sahib with the offerings sent by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Some structures of unknown significance, in close proximity to the inner sanctum of Hazur Sahib, were already demolished, and a food storage building, called Modikhana, was being demolished during her December visit, said Rai. Other heritage structures, she said, were being lost due to neglect. 

He however reatraited her demand to immediate removal of Parvinder Singh Pasricha from the President of Management committee of SachKhand Hazur Sahib Naded (Maharashtra) as latter failed to protect heritage status of Gurdwara Sach Khand Hazur sahib. She questioned that how a serving officer can justify the management of Gurdwara as he has many compulsions for the state. Parvinder Singh Pasricha, an IPS officer and was also serving DGP of Maharashtra.