Plan for 100 years’ Jallianwala Bagh memorial

CHANDIGARH: To mark the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Punjab has decided to come up with a memorial built from the soil of all 13,000 villages of the state. The decision was taken on Friday at a meeting of the state-level implementation committee on the centenary commemoration of the massacre.

An official spokesperson said, “Soil from the village will eulogize the immense contribution of Punjabis in the national freedom struggle.” Department of rural development and panchayats will coordinate with the panchayats of the villages across the state for this solemn cause.

Amarinder also asked the deputy commissioner, Amritsar, to identify a strategic spot in the city, where a suitable memorial would be erected with the soil brought from these villages. He has directed the cultural affairs and tourism department to engage the Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust, which had created the Partition Museum at Town Hall, Amritsar, to conceptualize and plan of the Jallianwala memorial.

Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements will be made to ensure hassle-free access to the people for paying respects to the martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial. At the same time care will be taken that devotees visiting Golden Temple are not be put to any sort of inconvenience caused during the centenary commemorations.

Jallianwala chapter to be in school syllabus

Principal secretary (cultural affairs) will coordinate with all the concerned departments to ensure a grand function at Amritsar on April 13, 2019. The cultural affairs department will organise commemorative functions at historical places like Sunam Udham Singh Wala, Khatkar Kalan, Jagraon, Malerkotla associated with freedom fighters and martyrs of the national independence struggle.

A chapter on Jallianwala Bagh carnage will be included in school syllabus to imbibe the spirit of patriotism and nationalism amongst the students.