PATNA: The flight of 142 stairs at Golghar is likely to be thrown open for visitors next month.Soon after the heritage granary developed longitudinal cracks due to salt action on its 3.6 metre thick wall and waterlogging around its foundation, the state government decided to rope in the expertise of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for its conservation and renovation on August 11, 2010.Officials in the state archaeology directorate claimed that the restoration work, which has been going on for eight years now, is expected to be completed in a month.“Plastering has been done on the outer surface of the monument. The stairs have been renovated and we are in the process of removing the scaffoldings. The platform around the circumference of Golghar is the last part to be renovated,” said an official in the archaeology directorate, a wing of the state art, culture and youth affairs department.The repair work was contemplated to be finished at a cost of Rs 96 lakh in two years, starting August, 2010. However, an additional Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned by the archaeology directorate in June, 2017.Apart from fund crunch, the work also suffered because of difficulty in putting scaffolding inside the dome-shaped monument to conduct repairs on its inner wall. The low level of oxygen inside the granary was also one of the factors.Highlighting the installation of a new equipment, the archaeology directorate official said, “The ASI has installed a lightning conductor atop Golghar to save it from any possible thunderbolt strike. There have been rising cases of lightning fatalities in the state in the recent past. The monument did not have a provision for lightning conductors, but we have decided to provide one for its safety.”Two laser shows are also held on the premises of Golghar which was built in 1776 under the supervision of British Army captain John Garstin, following the famine of 1770. While a water-based laser show is held in the lawn, another one is held inside the Golghar structure.Residents as well as local vendors are eagerly waiting for the staircase of Golghar to be opened for public.“I have spent almost a decade selling cream rolls near Golghar. I am eagerly waiting for the granary to become fully functional so that more visitors come here and increase my sales,” said Ramprasad, a local vendor.

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