Jammu: The Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, a treasure trove of Jammu and Kashmir's rich history and culture, has been awaiting much-needed restoration for the past 17 years. The government is also under fire for making restoring the ancient site—once the palace of the Dogra rulers—a time-consuming and difficult process.
In 2008, the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society (MMHS) came into being for its restoration, but the government has been able to complete only a few small projects, like the restoration of the Army headquarters and museum, whereas by the end of this month another project, Ram Singh Queen’s palace, is expected to be completed.
Out of the Rs 298.86 crore estimated cost of the project, works of only Rs 60 crore have been taken up so far. At present, around six different projects are in progress that are limited to the surroundings of the central courtyard, whereas the majority of the palaces on the internal and rear sides remain untouched.
The palace is spread over 14 acres of land and has a history of over 192 years. The officials associated with the MMHS blame the shortage of funds and financial crunch for the delay in these projects.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Secretary Culture Deepika Sharma, who is also the Executive Director of MMHS, said that the project faced several delays, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a financial crunch, and then a shift of the society from the Tourism Department to the Department of Culture despite initial funding by the central government.
“After preparing a detailed project report and getting funding from the government of India, we started the restoration work on ‘Army House,’ the museum, and other projects in 2011,” she said.
“In 2018, the work was kept in the ‘Languishing Projects’ category, and again funding was given, but due to COVID-19, the project came to a grinding halt, followed by a financial crunch,” she said.
According to Sharma, the society was transferred to the Department of Culture from the Tourism Department in 2014, and funds started coming from the CAPEX budget instead of languishing projects. “We are hopeful to complete the project within the stipulated time,” she said.
The secretary said the current projects were approved around the central courtyard, whereas areas at the back have already been approved for a heritage hotel under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. “This has been carefully planned, and we are hiring a transactional advisor for which tenders have been floated, and within a few months the process will be completed,” she said.
As per the laid-down rules, no concrete work is to be done in the complex, and only limestone with added colours has to be used for the restoration. The limestone for the work is brought from Rajasthan, whereas colours are added here.
“This work takes more time than usual work because specialised services are being provided as per the heritage conservation norms,” the secretary of culture added.
At present, work on Ram Singh Queen’s palace is expected to be completed by the end of this month, whereas the other five projects are also expected to be completed by 2027.
However, these projects are limited to the front side of the palace, whereas the majority of the area on the internal side is in dilapidated condition, and during the rainy season, especially in monsoons, the walls of the palace face damage and at times collapse.
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