Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Baseer Khan today directed for constitution of a progress review committee to periodically analyze the progress of ongoing restoration work of Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex which continues to struggle to not crumble into a pile of ruins.
He was on a visit to Mubarak Mandi Palace, the royal residence of erstwhile Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir, to inspect the progress on works being carried out for its renovation and conservation. He went around the Heritage Complex and sought details about the status of the work from the concerned functionaries.
Deepika K Sharma, Executive Director MMJHS, briefed the Advisor about the present status of the palace complex.
He was visibly displeased with the slow-paced restoration work which began more than a decade ago. As such he has ordered for a progress review committee, which will analyze the work progress on a regular basis and submit the report to the Board for further review. Besides, he directed the executing agency to work in double shifts.
Notably, the Master Plan for the Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex, which is being implemented at present, was prepared in July 2018 by M/S Sanrakshan Heritage Consultants Pvt Ltd. Rs 523 Crores worth plan was approved in March 2019 by the then J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.
As many as 59 projects were proposed in the aforementioned Master Plan, aimed at conservation and adaptive reuse of nearly 24-25 buildings, development of pathways and parks, for landscaping and stabilizing hills.
In the month of March, Jammu and Kashmir government notified the release of Rs 65 Crores for executing six projects, which it had announced in November 2018, and also floated the tenders. These six projects are – Central Courtyard, Amar Singh Palace, Ram Singh Palace, Ram Singh Queen Palace, Darbar Hall and Dogra Art Museum.
Moreover, the emergency stabilization is being done in five blocks of the complex to support the structures to prevent any collapse, even as few portions of the complex have caved in. Most recently, a portion of Gole Ghar collapsed on 17 March 2020.
The Advisor has directed the Executive Director to work out a plan with regard to optimum utilization of the portions of Heritage Complex, which have been completely restored.
He directed the executing agency to take care of the original architectural features of the royal complex while executing the renovation work. He emphasized upon paying special care to retain the aesthetic ambience of the precious heritage.
He asked them to maintain social distancing and follow the SOPs while executing the work.
Furthermore, he issued directions to the officials of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums with regard to Dogra Art Museum and archival record building.
Munir-ul-Islam, Director Archives, Archaeology and Museums, states, “To shift Dogra Art Museum to Army Headquarters, we had to pay Rs 18.5 lakh to the Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society. The amount was paid in advance and the shifting work was allotted to a contractor by MMJHS. But the work has not yet commenced.”
Former Advisor had instructed that Dogra Art Museum be temporarily shifted to Army Headquarters that is situated within the Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex, and is already renovated. This was to facilitate the renovation work of the museum.
He adds that Advisor Khan has today directed to ready the Army Headquarters in one month, which implies making it compliant to museum needs with required fixtures, and further two months to shift the Museum.
Also, the archival records of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums in the palace complex have to be shifted to a state-of-the-art building planned on a 5 kanal land in Rajinder Vihar, Bantalab.
“The land has been allotted to the Department and was sanctioned in March this year. Nearly 15-20% of the work was left when the lockdown was announced. It will be completed soon,” says Munir-ul-Islam.
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Baseer Khan inspects Mubarak Mandi conservation, orders constitution of Progress Review Committee
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