Adil Lateef
Srinagar, Jan 6: After several years of delay, the first floor of newly constructed complex of Sri Pratap Museum (SPS) here in Lal Mandi is finally expected to be set open for public on January 15. The first floor was earlier slated to be thrown open in December last year but the Police Housing Corporation (PHC), the executing agency, failed to complete the interior work.
The Police Housing Corporation (PHC) missed three deadlines in 2010, 2012 and 2013 for the completion of new complex. However, soon after the takeover of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed as Chief Minister of the State, the work started to pick-up as he personally visited the Museum and directed PHC for the instant completion. Besides, Minister of State (MoS) for Culture, Priya Sethi also visited the new building and directed earlier completion of all the work.
A top official of the PHC told Excelsior that the first floor of the complex would be thrown open for public on January 15. The officials of the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums are at present de-installing and installing the artifacts in the first floor in presence of experts.
The officials have already completed the installation of tiles, bronzes, pottery, armoury, coins. “Our people are installing the artifacts including heavy-weight sculptures objects. We were ready from the day one but it was due to the delay of PHC that we couldn’t install the artifacts. We also expect that the first floor would be inaugurated on January,” said Director of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, Mohammad Shafi Zahid.
The old complex of SPS Museum was established in 1898 and approximately there are 79, 595 artifacts and objects covering various subjects like Archaeology, Numismatics, Decorative Art, Arms and Armory, paintings and textiles. However, the complex is now in the shambles and after 2014 floods in which around 28 artifacts were damaged, the complex was declared unsafe.
The new complex with the surface area of one lakh square feet is being built at an estimated cost of over Rs 65 crore with Rs 30.74 crore meant for civil works and Rs 35 crore for its interiors. However, there is no word from the officials on the completion of two other floors.
Recently, the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums brought back its treasure trove from state Museum Shimla after a long period of 43 years and the department intends to make a miniature exhibition of this treasure trove at SPS Museum in near future.
The Director of the department said that the treasure consisted of 35 rare artifacts including 22 ancient silver and 9 copper coins of various ancient Kashmiri rulers, one Sharda Manuscript, one Kashmir painting (Swachanda Bhairva), one Sharda Manuscript and an old gun of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the erstwhile Dogra ruler of Kashmir. The treasure also includes ancient Kashmiri Manuscript of Bhagvad Gita, the Director added.
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