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| Dogra heritage on sale, vandalization for long By Yash Bhasin | | | The concern expressed and protest lodged by legislators belonging to Jammu based opposition parties, in the State assembly on Friday against the reported move of the State Government appointed Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society to sell or let on lease a part of the Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex to a private party for constructing a five star hotel, though welcomed, yet has come somewhat late. Already a big chunk of Dogra heritage has been subjected to sale, plunder, vandalization and encroachments without any notice of the same having been taken by the protagonists of conservation of rich Dogra heritage.
The historical Mubarak Mandi complex in Jammu city which was the seat of the governance during the time of Dogra rulers, continued to house the State secretariat during summer months, other government offices and courts round the year, even after power in the state was transferred to the elected government. The premises are proposed to be converted into a heritage complex, by reviving its pristine glory. The central Govt. has announced a grant of rupees 120 crores for its conservation and up gradation project by way of setting up a heritage complex here.
The winter secretariats and the two Houses of state legislature were shifted from here to the new complex between 1960 and 1962, while provincial offices of the State Govt. and the courts continued to be housed here till few years back. The office of the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu still continues to be in the complex, while the open space in the premises has been turned into a parking slot for the Government as well as private small vehicles, with notaries and stamp sellers still putting up their chairs and tables to carry on their business, as a reminiscesnt of housing of subordinate and High Courts in the premises till 1998.
Coming to the protest lodged by Jammu based opposition parties MLAs in the Assembly against the reported move to dispose off a portion of the premises to a private party by sale or on lease for constructing a five star hotel here, neither the State Govt. nor its appointed Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society has denied the allegations leveled by the honorable members on the floor of the House, on Friday last. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Nasir Aslam Wani side tracked the real issue of concern by the members by stating that to conserve the heritage monument a society has been set up which was looking into its conservation and promotion. The silence on the part of the concerned authorities to give categorical reply to the allegations of sale of the premises to a private party for constructing a five star hotel here only raises doubts about the bona-fides and intentions of the State Govt. and the heritage society appointed by it.
The warning served by the Jammu based opposition legislators of not allowing a hotel by a private party to be constructed in the premises, instead of creating a heritage circle in the whole of premises, reflects the sense of belonging for the rich Dogra heritage by the people of Jammu at large and the protesting legislators have only identified themselves with the concern of and sentiments of the common man. But the moot question is why these worthy representatives of the people of Jammu have remained silent and are still not showing any concern to the rich heritage of Dogras already sold, vandalize, plundered and encroached upon by some unscrupulous elements, with the connivance of the concerned authority.
The old palaces of Dogra rulers in Srinagar have already been sold or let on long lease, first to Oberai for setting up Oberia Palace Hotel here and latter the same transferred to Lalit Suri group of hotels, who have changed the nomenclature of the hotel to Lalit Grand Hotel, with palace vanishing in the wind. Ironically it is the descendents of the Dogra rulers who have disposed off these premises, which are the heritage monuments of Dogra rulers, to the private parties for commercial purposes.
Whereas setting up of Amar Mahal Museum in the Maharaja Amar Singh palace in Jammu by Dr. Karan Singh is highly welcomed, since it is in keeping with the spirit of the conservation of the heritage, and the museum houses valuable treasure of Dogra art, artifacts, weapons and costumes of the times of Dogra rulers, but the conversion of Hari Palace in the premises into a hotel and banquet hall for commercial purposes by the descendents of the Dogra rulers is an affront to the Dogra pride. Why no concern has been shown to this brazen act, by the protagonists of conservation of Dogra heritage? The argument that these palaces being the private property of the ruling clan and nobody can raise objection to the way these are used, is out of the mark, since these monuments form part of Dogra heritage.
The legislators from Jammu based parties have also rightly raised the question about the merit and competence of a person appointed as Vice Chairman of the heritage society constituted by the Govt. and practically the sole custodian of the vast Mubarak Mandi premises, with stated objective of conservation of Mubarak Mandi complex and its conversion into a heritage circle, costing several crores of rupees. There is hardly any other merit and qualification of the person concerned than his unflinching loyalty to and equation first to the royal family and second to the ruling Congress party. The loyalty to the latter is however not permanent but shifting from Jan Sang to Lok Dal, to Tiwari Congress, to the person of Late Arjun Singh and then to Indira-Sonia-Rahul Congress with patronage of Gulam Nabi Azad. Besides the person has been instrumental in encroachment and grabbing of Hindu religious lands including those belonging to the Dharmarth Trust.
The historical temples of Purmandal, Birpur and a seat of higher learning in a part of Uttarvaini, a pride of Dogra rulers, managed and controlled by the Dharmarth Trust have been subjected to vandalization and encroachment by some greedy elements, of whom the Vice Chairmen of this Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society is alleged to be the patron and protector. Dharmarth Trust constituted by Maharaja Ranbir Singh to promote and manage the affairs of Hindu religious shrines and temples in the state is being brazenly commercialized by the hairs of the Dogra rulers, who enriched this treasure with their personal offerings as well as official larges.
The major portion of the pride of Jammu and symbol of its rich heritage, the historical Raghunath Temple, which is the abode of 33crore Devi-Devtas as well as housed some rare Hindu scriptures, has been converted into a market place, with the allegations of cick backs paid to the present dispensation in the trust, still going the round. Why have not Mankhotia, Harsh Dev Singh and Bhim Singh as well as BJP leaders, who are now objecting to opening of a hotel in Mubarak Mandi complex, raised any objection to these brazen acts of the royal family and their protégés? An awakened citizen of Jammu, Vinod Awasthi became victim of the unholy nexus between the royal family, their protégés and land grabbing mafia, by sacrificising his life resisting commercialization of the Raghunath Temple, a prime Hindu religious shrine in Jammu. Hardly has any concern been shown by these custodians of conservation of Dogra heritage, over this brazen vandalization of rich Dogra heritage. It is heartening that the people of Jammu have risen as one man to resist vandalization of Dogra heritage but this resistance movement should not remain confined to extinction of Mubarak Mandi heritage. They should strive, even at this late stage, to reclaim and retrieve all other Dogra monuments and heritage points sold, vandalized or encroached upon in the past.
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