Raghuvar Bhawan
Railway Station
Goal Kothi
Places to see in Fazilka.
post of Sadqi. If one wants to witness the jingoistic retreat ceremony, where the Border Security Force from our side and Pakistan Rangers display their skills with gusto, you may as well do that, but before that a visit to the famous Ghantaghar (clock tower) is a must. Vinod Kumar Jangira, Director, Geeta Softech says, “This project of digital mapping was expressly started to put the city of Fazilka on the world tourist map.” The 165-year-old historical town is also known as Bangla. There were no maps available and people from other parts of India and the world just did not know enough about their township. Fazilka is famous for its handmade footwear (jutti), and sweet meat Tosha both of which are indigenous. Vinod says, “People should know about Fazilka. They will do so once the maps are ready within a few days’ time.” As a part of the project, a mapping party was held on April 16, 2011. Geeta Softech was the local host for the map party at Fazilka. The day started with an introduction on Digital Mapping and GPS devices. Field data was collected, web-based maps were made and views were exchanged.
This was followed by a discussion on mapping and editing. The unique part of the project is that people from diverse ������������������������������ landmarks, eating places and and ������������������������������� using GPS. Draftsmen, students of engineering and architecture, members of the Defence services and farmers, or simply map lovers actively participated in the project. Those who did not own a GPS or laptop computer were given GPS units on loan. Rajvinder Kaur, a resident of Fazilka says, “Our town is unique and it needs to be projected. It not only has historical importance but has tremendous potential for tourism.” Fazilka will gain importance within the next few years due to
OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a mapping project that bases itself on the idea of collaboration. The project, which is inspired by the concept of Wikipedia, allows anybody to contribute, edit and use the maps. Local knowledge plays a key role. The maps are created using data from portable GPS devices, aerial photography, other free sources. OpenStreetMap (OSM) was founded in July 2004 by Steve Coast. In 2006, the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) was formed with the aim of providing free geospatial data for anybody to use and share. By the end of 2009, OSM had more than 200,000 registered contributors.
the Tapi Gas Project which has a 1,735 km long pipeline laid from Turkmenistan to Multan that will end at Fazilka. With the second largest TV tower in Asia and a major rice exporting centre, Fazilka is all set to regain its past glory. There are only three joint check posts (Wagah in Amritsar, and Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district are the two others) where a retreat ceremony is performed by the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers. The Asafwala War Memorial nearby was built in memory of the soldiers of the 1971 IndoPak war. With a digitised map, Fazilka and its citizens are ready to map a story of success and put it back to where it belongs. This initiative not only helps the people to be proud of their town, but also helps the government in undertaking development programmes. The Fazilka story is bound to ���������������������������������� places as well and with modern technology and the internet available in every nook and corner of the country, in times to come we would surely hear more initiatives from citizens of other towns going for mapping their regions. For now, it’s Fazilka that is in the limelight. june 2011 geospatial TODAY | 29