Haryana CM Saini inaugurates three development projects in Rakhigarhi
Chandigarh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday inaugurated three development projects worth ₹20 crore in Hisar district's Rakhigarhi, a historic site of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The projects include the construction of a rest house, a hostel, and a cafeteria at the Rakhigarhi Museum and Interpretation Centre, a proposed museum to showcase artefacts of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Saini and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who was also present for the event unveiled a booklet prepared on the archeological site of Rakhigarhi.
Saini said that the newly developed rest house, cafeteria, and hostel will provide excellent facilities for tourists and students visiting from across the country and abroad.
The 17-room rest house is equipped with modern amenities and the hostel comprises 13 dormitories for students' accommodation and a dining hall.
Saini and Shekhawat also visited the exhibition organised by the Department of Archaeology and Museums. The exhibition displayed various Harappan-era artefacts discovered during excavations, including children's toys, terracotta cartwheels, lamps, terracotta beads, necklaces, and other objects.
Haryana Heritage and Tourism Minister Arvind Sharma and Public Works and Public Health Engineering Minister Ranbir Gangwa were also present for the inauguration.
After the event, the CM and the Union minister held a meeting with officers to review the plan to develop Rakhigarhi as a tourism centre,according to an official statement.
Directions were issued to the concerned departments to expedite the construction work of the Rakhigarhi Museum and Interpretation Centre.
They also directed that sheds be built at archaeological sites so that excavation work can continue throughout the year. They emphasised the importance of integrating the museum with the archaeological sites and preparing a detailed plan for lighting, parking, and other tourist facilities.
Shekhawat said the excavations in Rakhigarhi since the 1960s have provided concrete evidence that a highly developed human civilisation once existed here.
He claimed that the discoveries made during the excavations "strongly prove that India's civilisation is the oldest in the world".
The minister expressed satisfaction with the Haryana government's efforts in developing Rakhigarhi into a major tourism and research hub for archaeologists and historians. The development work at the site is scheduled to be completed in various phases, he said.
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