Srinagar: Nine days after receiving the petition from over 100 prominent citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Wednesday assured that the administration is committed towards conservation and protection of Srinagar's Shergarhi and Jammu's Mubarak Mandi complex.
"The government is committed towards conservation and protection of rich culture and heritage of Jammu and Kashmir and in this regard, his office had received representations from 100 prominent persons across J&K regarding protection and restoration of places with heritage significance like Mubarak Mandi, Jammu, and Shergarhi, Srinagar, " Sinha said during his speech at an event in SKICC.
He said, "Following the discussion with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, Ministry of Culture Secretary; the protection and restoration of Shergarhi, Srinagar, and Mubarak Mandi, Jammu has been assured."
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This comes exactly nine days after a petition signed by 122 prominent citizens was sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor for the conservation of the historic monuments.
On October 13, a petition with Professor Amitabh Mattoo, Pandit Bajan Sopori, Rahman Rahi and others as signatory was sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor through Saleem Beg, Convener INTACH.
"We welcome the step. This is a big decision we have been fighting for a long time. I hope that this will speed up the process of restoration of the two buildings," Beg told ETV Bharat on phone.
He further said, "There is no such place in Kashmir where artists can practice or meet and this place can serve as that ground. The conversion of it into a cultural complex is a real challenge for the government. They must do it professionally; how this place would be manipulated into a cultural Centre is a real challenge for the government for it must not turn into every other government office."
Echoing Beg's views, Secretary Cultural Academy Muneer-ul-Islam said, "it shall house a big museum, art gallery, craft museum and Srinagar city museum. This is a big announcement and a big thing for cultural enthusiasts and the culture of Kashmir. Shergarhi has been a power centre of Kashmir for the last 400 years."
