Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 10: “It is high time for Municipal Corporations of historic cities like Jammu to have a Heritage Department to check the tearing down of historic and heritage buildings, said Prof R J Vasavada, one of the senior most conservation architect of the country.
Speaking in his address during the inauguration of Workshop & Training on Conservation Techniques, at University of Jammu (JU), here today, Prof Vasavada, Prof & Head, PGP in Conservation Studies, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT, University, Ahmedabad and one of the resource persons, said that it is the domestic architecture that gives character to any city and it is important that timely social initiatives backed by strict municipal laws are required to safeguard symbols of local cultural heritage.
The three-day Workshop & Training on Conservation Techniques, is being held by INTACH (Indian Trust for Art, Culture & Heritage), Jammu Chapter and INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi, to create awareness about conservation of cultural heritage as well, as much needed initiative in capacity building at peripheral centers. The other contributors of the event are Centre for History and Culture of Jammu and Ladakh, JU, Department of Hospitality, Tourism Management, JU.
Navin Piplani, Principal Director, INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi, and second resource person of the workshop, in his welcome address introduced the charter and activities of INTACH all over the nation. He said that Archaeological Survey of India and Departments of Archaeology in all States of the country have been able to protect only six to seven thousand monuments while more than 50, 000 sites and heritage buildings are still uncared. He said it was the mandate of INTACH to conserve the unprotected cultural heritage. The regional heritage academies can play a vital role in conservation of cultural property across the nation.
Today’s function was inaugurated by Kiran Wattal, Municipal Commissioner who congratulated Srishti Sawhney, Convener, INTACH, Jammu Chapter for the initiative. Srishti Sawhney, in his introductory remarks apprised about the activities of the Jammu Chapter. Kuldeep Vahi, Vice President, Hotel & Restaurant Association Jammu & Member, Executive Committee, INTACH, Jammu, gave vote of thanks.
The technical sessions included Prof Vasavada’s scholarly account of Concept of Conservation, Practical Challenges to & Issues of Structural Conservation of Historical Buildings. This was followed by open house discussion by the participants that included students of Architecture, SMVD University, JU and engineers from State Dept. of Archaeology, number of practicing architects.
Others present in the event included Prof Anita Billawria, Director, Centre for History and Culture of Jammu and Ladakh, JU and Co-Convener INTACH, Jammu, Prof Poonam Choudhary, Director, Centre for Museology and Heritage Studies, Prof Baidnath Labh, HoD, Dept of Buddhist Studies, B B Sharma, Senior Architect, Dr Sanjay Sharma, Dept of Environmental Sciences, JU. Devinder Singh, Deptt of Geography.
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