NURMAHAL
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) requested the Punjab Government and the Punjab police to consider vacating the centrally protected Monument Maharjan Ranjit Singh Fort Philaur.
Superintendent Archaeologist of Chandigarh Circle of the ASI in an official communication to the director general of Punjab police (DGP) said that Dilbag Singh a resident of the village Baina Pur in Jalandhar has written to the Prime Minister of India in July 2023 mentioning that this monument has been encroached by the Punjab police and has not opened to the public and tourists.
ASI official said in his communication that this issue has been registered as a grievance on the PG Portal and sent a copy to DGP and asked for his comments.
Dilbag Singh said that the Union government had declared the fort a monument of national importance through a notification issued on September 7, 2011.
Dilbag Singh said that Justice Hemant Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court while disposing of his contempt petition on September 27, 2010, has ordered that in view of the notification declaring the fort as a monument of national importance consequential steps shall be taken in accordance with the law.
Dilbag Singh said that Chief Justice T.S.Thakur and Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposing of his civil petition on August 25 2008 has said that it goes without saying that if the government of India eventually declares the fort at Phillaur as a monument of National importance all consequences otherwise flowing from such declaration would follow.
He said that during these 13 years, the Punjab police repeatedly rejected all requests by the ASI to hand over the fort to it for conservation work.