GS Paul
Amritsar, August 25
The controversial multi-crore project of transforming the colonial-era Amritsar Circuit House Complex into a luxurious four-star hotel has been stalled.
The decision has been taken by the Vidhan Sabha Assurance Committee, whose chairman is Amritsar North legislator Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh.
Kunwar Vijay and other committee members, including MLAs Madan Lal Bagga, Jeevan Singh Sangowal and Balkar Singh Sidhu, today visited the Circuit House compound.
Any change to invite legal action
Anyone who tries to alter the heritage complex and give it to a private party is liable to face legal action. —Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, Amritsar north MLA
A major portion of the heritage complex, which came into being in 1863, was given to private players on the PPP (public-private partnership) mode for constructing a four-star hotel during the previous Congress government.
The members called officials concerned at the spot and directed them to furnish the committee with all relevant documents within a week.
Kunwar Vijay said, “Anyone who tries to alter the heritage complex and give it to a private party is liable to face legal action.”
A portion of the building collapsed in the 1990s and it was rebuilt in 1995, with a life span of 50 years.
“If anyone dismantles the Circuit House before 2045, it will be seen an offence. We have asked officials to provide us with all documents pertaining to leasing out this land and awarding it to private players on the PPP mode. Subsequently, the committee will prepare a report and table it in the Vidhan Sabha,” he said, without divulging the details of the private players.
The Circuit House is spread over 3.94 acres. The previous Congress government had planned to convert it into a hotel that would have entailed a cost of Rs 23 crore. After spending Rs 11 crore, the construction was stalled.
