Restoration & preservation of heritage sites across J&K UT
*Manpower crunch leading to delay in formulation of DPRs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 22: Even several months after the announcement of Scheme for Revival, Restoration, Preservation and Maintenance of Architecture and Heritage sites and availability of Rs 100 crore, no work has been initiated on the ground mainly because of lack of coordination between Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums and District Administrations and delay in formulation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) because of manpower crunch
As several historic monuments in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are battling for their existence and identity, the Government in the month of July last year got prepared Scheme for Revival, Restoration, Preservation and Maintenance of Architecture and Heritage and the same also received the approval of the Administrative Council headed by Lieutenant Governor.
The objectives of the scheme are to identify the sacred places and heritage sites requiring intervention; to carry out their revival, restoration and renovation; to ensure protection and longevity of these places and to promote restoration wherever damage has occurred to these places. Even a provision of Rs 100 crore was kept in the Budget for the implementation of the scheme.
However, even several months after the announcement of scheme and availability of sufficient funds at the disposal of Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, work has yet not been started even on one heritage site, official sources told EXCELSIOR while disclosing that during the 2021-22 financial year the major portion of the funds remained unutilized and the same lapsed on the closure of the financial year on March 31, 2022.
“No doubt, the funds have again been earmarked in the Budget of the current financial year but the same can be utilized only when Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) in respect of the identified heritage sites are prepared”, sources further said and informed that till date DPRs have been prepared in respect of only very few heritage sites.
They further informed that few Junior Engineers kept at the disposal of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums by the Public Works Department are being asked to visit the districts and prepare the Detailed Project Reports in respect of each of the identified sites. This is not withstanding the fact that they don’t have expertise and knowledge about the works required to be carried out at the heritage sites. Moreover, their number is too small to handle such a lengthy and wide-spread task.
“Not only the super structure of the identified heritage sites need restoration, landscaping, water and power connections and construction of toilet complexes are the other works which need to be carried out as such the scheme can be implemented only with the proper coordination of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums and District Administrations”, sources said.
When contacted, an officer in the Culture Department, which has administrative control over the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, confirmed that major portion of Rs 100 crore kept available for the implementation of the scheme could not be utilized during the last financial year, adding it was for the first time that such a huge amount was earmarked for preservation and restoration of heritage sites.
“We have issued instructions for early preparation of Detailed Project Reports and resolution of other issues which are creating impediments in start of work on the ground”, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Government in the month of September last year constituted Executive Committee and District Level Coordination-cum-Implementation Committees. The District Level Committee was tasked to conduct the heritage census and survey of the shrines, temples and other religious and historic monuments in coordination with the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums for their restoration, revival, preservation and maintenance.
The committee has also the mandate to ascertain need and necessity of revival/restoration and renovation of sacred religious assets and historic monuments and facilitate and coordinate such restoration, revival, preservation and maintenance work. It is supposed to prioritize and propose steps for protection and longevity of identified sacred and heritage structures and suggest steps for restoration wherever any damage has occurred and also formulate and finalize appropriation Action Plans for this purpose.
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