Gates to restore Jhajjar’s lost glory

Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar Municipal Committee has come up with a beautification plan for the city famous for its historical milieu. It will construct four grand gates at the entrance and will cost Rs60 lakh.

The municipal authority had recently issued a tender for the same and as per plans, the gates would be set up within the next few months.

As per historians, Jhajjar was known for its nine gates set up around the city during the Mughal era. These gates including Beri Gate, Delhi Gate, Diwan Gate, Bhatti Gate, Silani Gate, Mata Gate, Ghosian Gate, Sitaram Gate and Gaji Kamal Gate were opened in the morning and closed in the evening due to security point of view.

While the localities are still known by these names, there are no gates as such. Three gates including Sita Ram Gate, Mata Gate and Delhi Gate were, however, constructed around two years ago. Two of these gates were constructed by the municipal authority, while Mata Gate was constructed by the family members of Late Seth Sadhu Ram Bansal in his memory. Bansal was known for his social service in and outside Haryana.

Some councillors brought the proposal of setting up four more gates at the main historical places of the city during the General House meeting of the municipal committee last year.

The proposal of establishing a grand gate at Beri Gate, Bhatti Gate, Gaji Kamal Gate and Silani Gate localities was passed unanimously.

Narendra Saini, secretary, Jhajjar Municipal Committee, said: “Every gate will be constructed at a cost of Rs15 lakh. A three-month deadline has been fixed to construct these gates, which would recall city’s historical significance.”

Parveen Garg, vice-chairperson of the committee, said: “The gates will not only beautify the city, but also be instrumental in making the younger generation aware about the historical importance of Jhajjar city.”