Delhi spent over Rs 27 cr on Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom day events, Rs 1 cr on publicity: RTI

The Delhi government spent over Rs 27 crore in three days for Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th martyrdom day celebrations in November 2025.

The Delhi government spent more than Rs 27 crore in three days for Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th martyrdom day celebrations last November, according to information obtained through an RTI query filed by the PTI.

The highest expenditure was incurred on museum installations and tent city arrangements, while more than Rs 1 crore was spent on publicity, the RTI reply by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) showed.

It said that about Rs 27.03 crore was spent for the three-day event, out of which Rs 4.80 crore was used on the museum component, while Rs 4.75 crore was utilised for the tent city set up during the celebrations.

The expenditure details also showed that Rs 3.14 crore was spent on organising a mega Kirtan Darbar and Rs 1.78 crore on the light and sound show at the Red Fort facade.

The Delhi government organised the three-day grand event at the Red Fort starting November 25, 2025, to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.

According to the RTI reply, Rs 1.03 crore was spent on mass publicity activities excluding newspaper advertisements.

The celebrations included illumination of historic gurdwaras in Delhi, installation of decorative toran gates across selected locations, transportation arrangements and development of official digital platforms related to the event.

The RTI reply said that around Rs 94.8 lakh was spent on illumination of historic gurdwaras, while nearly Rs 1 crore was utilised for toran gates installed at select locations.

The expenditure on souvenir coffee table books stood at Rs 84.8 lakh, while transportation expenses amounted to Rs 73.83 lakh, it said.

An amount of Rs 29.18 lakh was spent on the official website, mobile application and digital information services linked to the celebrations, the document highlighted.

The RTI reply said the festival was organised on behalf of the Delhi government, and the work was awarded to M/s Projection Systems, an empanelled event management agency of the DTTDC.