- Plan yet to be prepared for public display of historic items
- All concerned unaware of stored articles’ condition
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 2: The Department of Culture will formally get Toshakhana assets (erstwhile kings’ valuable objects) in June-July this year as it has been decided that modalities for handing over and taking over of Dogra treasure will be finalized after the completion of ongoing Lok Sabha elections. However, all the concerned are completely unaware of condition of stored articles for want of periodic inspections and no plan has so far been prepared for public display of historic items.
The Administrative Council vide Decision No.115/9/2022 dated August 13, 2022 gave nod to the proposal regarding winding up of Toshakhana Organization. Accordingly, the Hospitality and Protocol Department vide Government Order No.11-JK (H&P) dated August 30, 2022 formally accorded sanction to the closure of J&K Toshakhana Organization.
It was mentioned in the order that sanctioned posts and incumbent staff and all the records and immovable/moveable assets of the Toshakhana Organization at Jammu and Srinagar will be transferred to the Department of Culture for further management of valuable and other objects of erstwhile kings of Jammu and Kashmir.
Though manpower of the Organization was formally transferred to the Department of Culture soon after the decision of the Administrative Council yet handing over and taking over of the huge assets in the shape of historic articles which include gold and silver ornaments and armory kept in the stores of Toshakhana Organization including one inside the Civil Secretariat at Jammu faced inordinate delay, official sources said.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
“While Department of Culture through Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums was seeking proper inventory before taking over of the assets, the Hospitality and Protocol Department, which had administrative control over Toshakhana Organization, was insisting on handing over exercise without preparation of list of assets”, they said.
Now, the issue has been resolved between the Department of Culture and Hospitality and Protocol Department and both have decided to complete the exercise through committees headed by Deputy Commissioner concerned and after the ongoing elections are over handing over and taking over process will be completely most probably in the months of June-July, sources informed.
When contacted, Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Culture, Suresh Kumar Gupta said, “it is a fact that handing over and taking over of assets got delayed but now everything has been sorted out with the Department of Hospitality and Protocol and most probably the exercise will be completed within next few months”.
However, all the concerned authorities are completely unaware of the condition of the stored articles as these were not inspected periodically despite the fact that such items need proper preservation after regular intervals to prevent them from decaying or getting damaged further, sources said, adding “moreover, no plan has so far been prepared for public display of historic items after formal transfer to the Department of Culture”.
It is pertinent to mention here that several valuable articles of historic importance were shifted out of Toshakhana within the Mubarak Mandi Complex to the strong room in the Civil Secretariat after massive fire broke out in the historic complex several years back.
“It would be only after formal handing over of the historic articles by the Hospitality and Protocol Department that Department of Culture through Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums can chalk out any plan for their treatment/maintenance and public display”, an officer said.
Stressing on formulation of proper plan for public display of such articles by the Department of Culture, sources said, “there is no point in keeping the things of historic value under lock and key and young generation has every right to see and get knowledge about the same”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
