The knuckles on the hands of a realistic silicon statue of Bhagat Singh at the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial in Kartarpur have ominously faded at places where visitors have repeatedly touched them over the past nine years, eager to get a feel of their favourite icon of the freedom movement.While a freedom movement memorial can hardly compete with the charms of Elante Mall and Eastwood Village — ever-crowded malls in Chandigarh and Jalandhar whose daily footfall ranges from 30,000 to over 60,000 — the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial is doing reasonably well for a cultural and historic site located away from the city, despite having courted controversy until recently.Inaugurated in 2016, the 25-acre memorial has attracted around 13 lakh visitors over the past nine years, including three lakh students. After a 1.5-year lull during the Covid pandemic and a subsequent case involving allegations of financial irregularities, in which the memorial recently received a clean chit, the Rs 315-crore facility is now attracting a steady stream of visitors.In 2025, the memorial recorded a footfall of 1,11,000 visitors, while 43,187 people have visited it so far in 2026. It recorded 7,572 visitors in March, 6,746 in June and 3,378 in July. In August so far, 1,714 people have visited the memorial.A day ahead of Independence Day, 96 people had visited the memorial till 4 pm on Friday. On March 23 this year, the martyrdom anniversary of Bhagat Singh, 274 people visited the site.From the unceremonious usurpation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom by the British Empire to the Kuka Movement, Gurdwara Reform Lehar, Ghadar Movement, Gurdwara Rakabganj movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the murder of John P Saunders, the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and the tragedy of Komagata Maru, the imposing building chronicles the many movements and sacrifices associated with Punjab’s struggle for freedom.An Amar Jyoti (eternal flame), housed inside a Shaheedi Minar and burning continuously since 2016, is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices of the martyrs. The flame consumes around 10 cylinders a month.The memorial, which has its own solar power unit and a 75 KLD sewage treatment plant (STP), is largely self-sustained. It is funded through proceeds from nominally priced tickets — Rs 100 for adults, Rs 50 for those below 18 and Rs 40 for schoolchildren. Children up to the age of three are admitted free. The memorial is run by a company on contract.At present, 19 staff members run the memorial, which is also short of administrative and managerial staff. There is only one manager, five housekeepers and one audio-visual personnel, among others, while posts of curator, accountant, clerical staff and driver remain vacant.Lakhwinder Johal, former secretary of the earlier Managing Committee of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial, said, “The Jang-e-Azadi Memorial’s vast potential still lies untapped. During our committee, proposals had been invited from fast food joints for a food court on premises and literature for the library but following the ongoing case, the process had been stalled. The memorial is huge, if advertised statewide and nationally, and through signages on the highway, it has potential to be among the leading tourist places in the state.”Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, Varjeet Walia, who is also the CEO of the present Managing Committee of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial, said, “State-of-the-art infrastructure and amenities are already in place at the memorial. We will take the steps and measures required to further its place as a tourism hub.”The current Managing Committee of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial, apart from the Deputy Commissioner, also has the Director, Tourism, Punjab; Secretary, Tourism, Punjab; and Assistant Controller of Finance, Punjab, as its members.