Notwithstanding its tall claims over restoration of the splendid heritage structures across Kashmir region, the unplanned development, mass-scale urbanization and lack of government’s policy, has taken toll on the heritage sites—leaving them crumbling.
“It is unfortunate that we are losing the treasure of our cultural heritage,” Saleem Beg, Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage in Kashmir, told Greater Kashmir.
“We have been trying to rope in more and more common people, local stakeholders in order to revive and rejuvenate the culture and heritage of Srinagar city, especially in Downtown areas,” he said.According to stakeholders, the unplanned, mass scale urbanization and unregulated development across Kashmir, especially in Srinagar city is making a lot of heritage structures vulnerable.
For Liza Bhat of Fateh Kadal in Downtown, Srinagar, her ancestral heritage home was recently raised to the ground because the family wanted “expansion” of their space and some sophisticated corners.“Our heritage house, which was built along the river Jhelum facing Khanqah-e-Moula, was raised to the ground mercilessly because we all wanted to have sophisticated amenities and expansion of the space,” she said. “All these years we have had a luxurious feeling that we were born and brought up in a house which not only was unique but had an aesthetically a unique structure,” she said, adding “Then I see lot of such houses, especially in Downtown are either left unattended or raised to the ground because we lack will to preserve our cultural heritage structures.”
According to World Monuments Watch, the Srinagar city has several colonial-style colleges, hospitals, courts and other heritage structures—which were constructed during the British occupation. However due to the rising demand for land in historic areas of Srinagar and the commercial value of many residential buildings has caused serious threat to the heritage sites.
“Downtown Srinagar is culturally very enriching. This is a place which is not just rich and buzzing in terms of heritage but also in traditions, culture, and values,” Beg said. “In recent years, we have seen our heritage couldn’t resist the pressures of the growing urbanization and demand for having so called sophisticated houses,” he said, adding “Heritage conservation is need of the hour and it could be only achieved when you have people fully educated about the importance of the cultural heritage and its impact on the generations.”
‘Losing the site’
Many people in the Downtown area are aghast over the “lackadaisical” approach of the government and for showing “step-motherly” treatment toward the areas—which have its socio-cultural significance.
Many areas including Bohri Kadal, Zaina Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, Aali Kadal, Mahraj Gunj, Fateh Kadal, Khanyaar and others, are wearing a shabby look as roads are in shambles and lanes and by-lanes appear ghostly.
“Downtown was a symbol. It has its cultural and heritage supremacy and unfortunately we are on the verge of losing this chapter of history,” noted satirist and poet, Zareef Ahmad Zareef, told Greater Kashmir.
“All we need to do is to wake up to the pressing demands and start conservation of our heritage sites in Downtown and elsewhere. And I must tell you the government alone can’t do this and we shouldn’t have high hopes from them,” he said.
Another elderly man, Muhammad Subhan, said that he has been witnessing a lot of structural “changes” in in Downtown areas over the years as the demand for more houses and land have touched skyrockets.
For many conservationists—who took the initiative to keep the heritage structures intact are also facing immense hardships in its maintenance. Jalali House, an old structure, heritage house located in a busy neighbourhood of the Zadibal area of Downtown, Srinagar, is a signpost of Kashmir’s architectural marvel. The house shot into prominence and became a one-stop destination for the heritage tourists in Srinagar after some Bollywood productions were shot here including Haider etc.
“The nine bridges spanning over the river Jhelum, and many others intersecting the network of waterways that flow through the old city have an immensely rich cultural history, which needs to be preserved,” said Nazir Ahmad, president Downtown Coordination Committee.
He said that the bridges (Kadal) including, Amira Kadal, Budshah Kadal, Habba Kadal, Fateh Kadal, Zaina Kadal, Aali Kadal, Nawa Kadal and Safa Kadal, are being defaced and at some places massive encroachment under an eye of the local administration.
