Rains make wall paintings fade in city

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 23

Painting and graffitis, which were painted on bridges and walls along roads under the beautification project six months ago, have got faded due to rains in the city. At some places, these have got washed away completely.

The authorities had spent heftily on these paintings before the elections. Not only wall paintings, flex boards depicting Punjab heritage are also missing. The flex boards were installed to hide the filthy roadsides.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) had initiated the paintings to depict the culture of Punjab on walls, pillars and bridges across the city in September 2016. Artists painted bhangra graffitis on Airport Road to welcome tourists. Paintings showcasing Teej festival were drawn on walls of flyover bridge outside Hall Gate. Before the start of the Heart of Asia Conference in the city, the MC had got painted ‘phulkaris’ on the walls along Bhandari Bridge. A firm was hired to paint these walls.

The residents, who were happy with the move of the MC for beautification, are now upset as paintings got damaged with rain. “It is sad that the paintings have got damaged due to rain. The firm hired by the MC may have used poor material. The government claims to do it for the beautification of the city. The Municipal Corporation should initiate an inquiry into it,” said Sandeep Singh, a local resident.

“Paintings of Mugal era on various buildings are still shining, but the graffitis made six months ago have got fainted. The former government did it only to influence voters,” said Amandeep.