Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 24: The convener of All Jammu Civil Society Forum (AJCSF), Th Gulchain Singh Charak today convened a special meeting of the Forum for discussing various important burning issues concerning the Jammu Division.
Charak, while informing about his meeting with Governor with regard to progress on the Mubarak Mandi restoration and the preservation of the archives, resented the Government move to shift the documents from the archives to the new secretariat complex. “Since the documents are in very fragile delicate condition, their shifting may result in destruction and permanent loss of the priceless treasure,” he said and suggested that all documents including the ones in Kala Kendra be shifted to the erstwhile information Deptt building next door in the Mubarak Mandi Complex and preserved there.
Expressing grief over the Gandola accident deaths, the meeting urged the Governor that this project needs a fresh re-look and recast as per original plan to start from the Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex connecting Bahu Fort/ Bage-e-Bahu and Mahamaya temple. “While the magisterial inquiry is already ordered, this aspect may also be re-examined by a committee in a time bound manner to make it meaningful and tourism friendly. The committee must include technical experts and representatives of knowledgeable members from tourism and those connected with the heritage,” the members said.
The members also discussed the Jammu festival that has lost its originality of showcasing the composite Dogra culture, its secular ethos and participation of all communities and religions as it was originally started from the Mubarak Mandi Complex. The Civil Society envisaged much greater participation of the Dogra Sadar Sabha, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the civil society and give a platform to showcase Dogriyat, Dogra art, local artists in a display of secular solidarity for which this region is famous of retaining.
Th Gulchain Singh Charak urged the Governor to give time to joint delegation of Dogra Sadar Sabha and AJCSF, with concerned Government officers present, so that details may be discussed for on spot decisions taken, since not much time is left for the summer tourism season.
The prominent members in the meeting, included Maj General Goverdhan Singh Jamwal, Anil Suri, Neeraj Anand, Brig M S Jamwal, Col Dr Virendra K Sahi, Krishan Lal Gupta, Col Karan Singh Jamwal, Amanat Ali Shah, S Kulbir, Singh, Parveen Gupta, Ravi Singh, Balwinder Singh and Vidya Sagar Sharma.
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