Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 23: No headway has been made on establishment of seven Regional Cultural Centres, which were announced nearly two years back with the objective to promote languages and ethnicity of every region of the State. This is mainly due to the failure of the high-level committees to accomplish the assigned task and non-seriousness on the part of top echelons of the Government and J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
The announcement regarding establishment of seven Regional Cultural Centres was made by the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti while chairing the Central Committee meeting of J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages on October 3, 2016.
The objective behind this announcement was to give necessary impetus to the activities of the Cultural Academy and to provide effective platforms for promotion of local languages and ethnicity.
These Cultural Centres were named as Ladakh Regional Cultural Centre, Kamraz Regional Cultural Centre, Maraz Regional Cultural Centre, Chenab Valley Regional Cultural Centre, Pir Panchal Regional Cultural Centre, Duggar Regional Cultural Centre and Basohli Regional Cultural Centre.
For standardizing the design and concept of these Cultural Centres in consultation with Oscar-award winning composers—A R Rehman and Resul Pookutty, an apex committee headed by the then Minister for Culture Dr Haseeb Drabu was constituted in the Central Committee meeting, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
However, before the apex committee could start holding deliberations on the assigned task Dr Haseeb Drabu was divested of the portfolio of Culture Department and former Chief Minister despite retaining the portfolio never convened the meeting of apex committee.
Due to this no progress could be made on working out modalities for establishment of seven Regional Cultural Centres till May 14, 2018 when the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while chairing another meeting of Central Committee of J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, directed setting up of an apex committee headed by the then Minister for Public Works and Culture Naeem Akhtar to make suggestions on opening of Regional Cultural Centres.
“These Regional Cultural Centres would go a long way for cultural integration of all the regions of the State by promoting and protecting the cultural milieu of every region and province”, the then Chief Minister had stated while seeking report from the apex committee within a period of two months.
However, the apex committee failed to carry out any exercise till the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir on June 19, 2018. Due to this no headway could be made on establishment of Regional Cultural Centres, sources said, adding “had there been timely exercise either by the apex committee headed by Dr Haseeb Drabu or Naeem Akhtar uncertainty over setting up of Regional Cultural Centres could have been easily avoided”.
“It is a matter of serious concern that despite being aware of the importance of these Regional Cultural Centres those at the helm of affairs in the Academy of Art, Culture and Language have failed to take up the issue with the Governor, who is also the Patron of the Academy”, ever since the imposition of Governor’s Rule”, sources regretted.
They further said, “it is high time for the Cultural Academy to approach Governor so as to ensure working out of modalities vis-à-vis establishment of Regional Cultural Centres without wastage of more time”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Governor always lays thrust on giving necessary impetus to promotion and protection of the cultural milieu of every region and province. On February 21, 2018 Governor while inaugurating cultural festival of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages had stressed that Academy should provide valuable platforms for the three regions to come together and understand each other’s traditions, cultures and art forms.
When contacted, Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages Dr Aziz Hajini said, “sudden developments following constitution of apex committees twice are responsible for delay in establishment of Regional Cultural Centres”, adding “we are planning to bring this issue to the notice of Governor so as to ensure necessary follow-up action on the announcement made by the Central Committee in 2016”.
He, however, failed to specify the reasons behind delay in bringing the issue to the notice of Governor.
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