Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the multi-purpose Prakash Kendra and Udyan Yojana (Prakash centre and garden project) at an event at Guru ka Bagh in Patna Sahib via remote in the state capital. He was ill, and this was his first public engagement in 10 days.
The project was announced by the Union ministry of culture on the 350th Prakash Utsav in Patna in 2017. It will be constructed at Guru ka Bagh at Rs 54.16 crore by the building construction department with help from the tourism department.
"The multi-purpose Prakash Kendra should be named Prakash Punj. It will have four gates named after Baba Ajit Singh, Baba Fateh Singh, Baba Jujhar Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh and five takhts - Paunta Sahib, Nanded Sahib, Keshgarh Sahib, Hemkund Sahib and Patna Sahib. The entire structure will be open from all sides and will be a place where visitors would have information about Sikhism and Guru Gobind Singh ji," Nitish said after laying the foundation stone.
"The deadline to complete the project is 18 months, but I wish it gets ready in 14 months so that it can be inaugurated during the Prakash Utsav in 2020," Nitish said.
He said Bihar's history is not the history of any particular piece of land, but is of the entire country and civilisation. He stressed that so many religious leaders, including Guru Gobind Singh, were born here, which is something the people of the state are proud of.
The chief minister eulogised Guru Gobind Singh and said he was not only a great saint and warrior, but also a leader, a socio-political and spiritual philosopher, scholar of several languages, author and an ideal personality replete with compassion, forgiveness, love, politeness, who thought about the welfare of others.
"It is not a small thing that he lived only till 42 years of age, but did so many things that people will remember him forever," Nitish added.
Tourism minister Pramod Kumar, building construction minister Maheshwar Hazari, Bihar State Planning Board member G.S. Kang, chief minister's advisor Anjani Kumar Singh, chief secretary Deepak Kumar, building construction principal secretary Chanchal Kumar, tourism principal secretary Ravi Manubhai Parmar and other officials were present.
