J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, on Thursday, paid a visit to Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex here for an on-the-spot assessment of the progress made on the works of conservation and protection going on for the last few years.
The chief secretary went around different heritage buildings of the complex and took cognizance of the conservation works being carried out there. He inquired about the subsequent plans of the society for adaptive reuse of the structures after their restoration.
Dulloo also emphasised that society should further pace up the work there for completing the same within a minimum timeframe.
He maintained that the restoration of heritage is quite a technical work that demands due diligence and highly professional manpower to accomplish the tasks.
He directed restoring the original magnificence of the complex besides preserving its aesthetic appeal befitting its past glory.
He went inside the renovated Darbar Hall currently hosting the Dogra Art Museum where he went around different sections observing the Numismatics Gallery, Jewellery Section, Archaeology Section, and Master Sansarch and Gallery viewing the historical repository of artefacts on display there.
He also took note of the progress made in restoration works being carried out in the structures like Raja Ram Singh’s and Raja Amar Singh Palaces besides the Museum building which is soon going to be completed to host an array of historically valuable antiquities proposed in different parts of this monument.
He also took an assessment of the need for the development of a multi-story parking lot for the ease of visitors besides the beautification of the courtyard and creation of other amenities in consultation with INTACH here.
The chief secretary further made out that together with the part developed under PPP mode the complex is going to be one of the prominent tourist spots here in Jammu city.
He stated that there is no dearth of funds to complete the work on time. He exuded hope that the restoration, conservation and protection works executed currently would be accomplished in next 2 years to make this complex an attractive place to visit.
During this visit, the Principal Secretary, Culture, Suresh Kumar Gupta informed about the plans for the adaptive reuse of the conserved structures besides other aspects of this mega project.
He gave out that the grand structures behind the complex including Rani Charak Mahal, Pink Hall etc are going to be developed in a PPP mode. He revealed that the Department has invited bids for hiring a transaction advisor for this purpose and soon the work on this project would be taken up here.
The Executive Director, MMJHS, Deepika Sharma gave the overall introduction about the aims and objectives of conservation of this complex. She detailed the works carried out so far and explained the future reuse plans for different structures to be used as display galleries, museums, library, and cultural centres.
It was given out that the first vision document for the conservation of this complex was prepared by INTACH in the year 2008 and a comprehensive master plan was later prepared and approved in 2019.
Primarily, the complex is zoned out in 06 zones including the Public Zone, Knowledge Centre, Interpretation & Collection Galleries, Lifestyle, Experiential Spaces, and Crafts Bazaar.
It was also revealed that under this Master Plan, an amount of Rs 144.15 Cr is to be spent on different sub-projects of this heritage complex.
It was made out that work on a few sub-projects has been completed and the work on other sub-projects is apace for their completion on time.