Beautiful Facades versus Reality, in and around Golden Temple

For anyone who has ever visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the walk through the Galiara would have been particularly remarkable. Besides the Town Hall renovation and the various statues, jaali work facades and the fountains the Heritage Walk project, also included a complex sanitation and electrical utilities aspect. 

All overhead wires have been channeled through an underground tunnel. This heritage street has turned out to be a delightful experience for the tourists in particular.

Whereas the actual reality explains a different scenario at the backhand, just behind the monument-like facade are the cluster of shops that have seen no renovation in several years. It has kind of uprooted the livelihoods of some people. The project has been restricted to a certain stretch only limiting benefits of other people and directly affecting their business at the same time.

According to some of the shopkeepers behind these facades, they are facing major hardships in terms of business; while the old streets of the walled city still face problems such as overhanging wires, advertisements and hoardings disturbing the heritage value of these areas. 

Encroachments in the form of two wheeler parking, informal sector etc is another reason to have resulted in jam packed and congested roads most of the times. These older areas are such that massively needs preservation and enhancement to overcome all the drawbacks. 

As we know Golden Temple attracts huge tourist’s attraction, but public toilet is one such facility where people face problems daily due to the inadequacy for such a huge complex only one public toilet has been constructed in the Golden Temple Complex, maintained by Sulabh Social Service Organisation and another public toilet constructed near the fawwara chowk which never came into operation.

Hence as a part of conclusion, large gap can be seen between these two areas largely impacting the lives of shopkeepers making it difficult to cope up in this competitive world, directing the tourist only through a particular stretch of walk and hiding the other drawbacks. 

Some due consideration upon this fact can turn economy and tourism to great fortunes and making it an even more successful project.