Punjab govt finds land for guesthouse in City

PATNA: A four-member team of the Punjab government on Tuesday identified a plot of land in the Kangan Ghat area of Patna Sahib for construction of a guesthouse.
The Punjab government has decided to spend Rs 10 crore on constructing the guesthouse ahead of the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Likely to be named Punjab Bhawan, it will have 40-odd rooms.
According to 'Shatabdi Samaroh Committee' chairman Gurinder Pal Singh, the guesthouse is being built to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, but it is unlikely to be completed by January next year when the celebrations are going to take place.
The Punjab government, he said, has also committed to spending Rs 2 crore on booking hotel rooms for pilgrims visiting the city for the celebrations.
Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister (CM) Parkash Singh Badal and other dignitaries from the state are likely to travel to Patna on September 22 to attend an international Sikh convention being organised by the Bihar tourism department.
A Bihar tourism department official said the three-day convention aimed at popularising the Sikh tourist circuit in Bihar. Many Sikh preachers from India and abroad have been invited. "We have invited Punjab CM, governor and other dignitaries to the first-of-its-kind convention in Bihar," the official said and added, however, the official confirmations were still awaited.