Amritsar: Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue to come up at Malika Da Butt soon

Now, a mammoth statue of the erstwhile Punjab ruler will be installed at the spot as part of the state government’s plan to beautify the 200 metre path to the Golden Temple. Four other statues – a memorial to martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Dr. B R Ambedkar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s general Hari Singh Nalwa, priest of the Golden Temple during the Maharaja’s time Akali Phula Singh – have been planned too.

The Ambedkar statue at Ambedkar Chowk. (Express Photo by Rana Simranjit Singh)

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has been taking keen interest in this beautification project and has made at least two visits to the project site every month since last November.

All five statutes hade been designed by a Jaipur-based firm.

According to sub-divisional officer (SDO), PWD Shivpreet Singh said that the department had to put up notices before the removal of the Ambedkar statue that once existed there, lest it hurt the sentiments of the people.

“The old statue was a small one. The one that has come up now is much taller,” he said.