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SGPC goes in for
stealth route to install ACs at Golden Temple
● Experts ignored ● Makkar says ACs were for raagis ● Badal's wife
behind move
WSN Network
Amritsar: Considerable debate had followed the first indications
that the SGPC wanted to install air conditioners at the Golden
Temple and at one stage the idea was put on the back burner but
suddenly two giant four-ton ACs appeared at the sanctum sanctorum
disregarding a wail of protests from both Sikhs and heritage
conservationists across the world.
Many Sikh circles
said the issue needed to be debated and there was no hurry to rush
in to install the ACs even as many sections of the media claimed
that the pressure came from CM Parkash Singh Badal's wife Surinder
Kaur Badal who had first floated the idea. There has been however no
comment from the Badals on the issue and journalists in Punjab
rarely ask questions too uncomfortable. Surinder Kaur Badal is a
regular at the Gurdwara every month.
The SGPC has claimed
that the ACs were for the benefit of its granthis but experts said
the greatest risk from these six-feet monsters is to the beautiful
frescos and the heritage building itself which is now at the mercy
of variations in temperatures.
SGPC president Avtar
Singh Makkar said the SGPC had taken ‘‘extensive opinions’’ from
conservation experts before deciding on the technology and placement
of the ACs but did not name any expert. He instead claimed the ragis
had complained of sweltering heat while performing kirtan for
two-three hours at a stretch.
One of the more
vocal heritage conservationist, Gurmeet Rai, said, ‘‘It is difficult
to believe that the huge ACs would not create any damage.’’ She said
she has attended several workshops where world renowned experts feel
it is better to provide proper ventilation for preservation purposes
than expose interiors to drastic variations in temperatures causing
condensation and excessive moisture. "This is known to destroy
paintings and surfaces," she said.
Conservationist
Balwinder Singh from Guru Nanak Dev University also opposed the
decisionand said controlled air from the AC can pose a serious
threat to the centuries-old frescos and other art work.
But some politics
also was seemingly mixed in the issue. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara
Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna, whose
own people had installed ACs in historical building like Sis Ganj
and Bangla Sahib, said those were not heritage structures like the
Golden Temple, originally built by the fifth Sikh master Guru Arjun
Dev.
4
June,
2008
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