'Govt is committed to restoration of historical buildings'

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the state government is committed to the restoration of all buildings with historical and religious significance.
He directed the concerned officers that all roads leading to Bassian Kothi should be widened. He also said that the state government would be spending around Rs 6 crore for the restoration of this historical monument.
He stated this during the review of an ongoing restoration work of Bassian Kothi, a more than 200-year-old Sikh heritage monument, which is being developed into a memorial in remembrance of Late Maharaja Dalip Singh.
Accompanied by senior district administration officials, the Chief Minister visited Bassian Kothi located near Raikot after attending the funeral of Jagdev Singh Talwandi today.

It was at Bassian Kothi where Maharaja Dalip Singh was kept in captivity arrested by the British in 1849 prior to his exile.
In 2011, the state government had engaged the services of non-profit Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for the restoration work.