DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, Jan 11
Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) has welcomed the seriousness shown by the Government in speeding up the work of conservation of the historic Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex as indicated in the course of his recent meetings separately with the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Secretary J&K and as per the news appeared in a section of press on 10th of January.
Addressing a press conference at Dogra Bhawan today, Th. Gulchain Singh Charak, Former Minister and President, Dogra Sadar Sabha, J&K said that it also needs to be ensured that the work is carried out in a transparent manner under the close supervision of the experts and monitoring by the Archaeological Survey of India, as already mandated by the Governing Body of the Society. This will ensure that the conservation norms are adhered to, and no aspect of the precious heritage is lost during the restoration work.
The former minister recalled that the Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society was created to look after the conservation and management of the largest heritage complex of its kind in Northern India and comprises, in the best traditions of heritage conservation practices observed all over the World, besides the concerned official functionaries, senior citizens having knowledge about its heritage and cultural tourism in its Governing Body. He said that the exclusion of the private stakeholders has resulted in unnecessary ambiguity in its direction, as well as delays in execution of the conservation work, and demanded that the composition of the Governing Body be restored.
President Dogra Sadar Sabha emphasized that Mubarak Mandi is a symbol of identity of the people of Jammu which needs to be showcased for providing inspiration to the coming generations as well as for attracting tourists for its long-term sustainability. He demanded that the iconic Complex be opened to the public, during fixed hours on all days, to enable citizens and tourists to savor the grandeur of the historic complex and witness the steps being taken to restore it to its pristine glory.
He also cautioned that any move to shift the Archives from the Mubarak Mandi Complex will be suicidal as the archives are an intrinsic part of Dogra heritage and have been the soul of the complex for centuries. He said that they comprise rare and historic documents/manuscripts which are the main attraction for scholars of history and culture, as well as for other tourists from across the Globe who are interested in seeing and experiencing different cultures. For this reason, ancient and rare archival records are invariably housed in heritage buildings across the World.
Referring to the serious concern among the citizens about the proposal for converting part of the complex into a hotel with access from the circular road via a fly-over, Sh Charak pointed out that both these projects violated the conservation laws. He appealed to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, J&K, Sh Manoj Sinha ji to take personal interest in the matter so that the Expression of Interest for Hotel and the orders for providing it with a flyover access, being prohibited by law, are formally withdrawn.
He also underlined the need for expediting the implementation of the approved Comprehensive Conservation and Reuse Plan for the Mubarak Mandi Complex, which will enable Jammu’s emergence on the World cultural tourism map and benefit multiple components of Jammu’s tourism industry, including hoteliers, shopkeepers, transporters, auto and taxi operators, travel agents and others by boosting heritage tourism.
Charak also appealed to other political leadership of Jammu, especially those representing Jammu in Parliament or other high platforms, to rise above petty political considerations and take interest in this primary and precious heritage of the region for putting their weight behind its proper conservation for the benefit of the people and posterity.
Others present in the press conference were Col Karan Singh (Retd), Vice President, Prem Sagar Gupta (Gen Secretary), Gambhir Dev Singh Charak (I/C) Youth Wing, Ravi Singh Slathia and Dr V.S Sharma.
