 G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 12: Repeated claims of the government about preservation of heritage buildings notwithstanding, official apathy has spoiled the prestigious Samba Fort.
The former Culture Minister had also claimed that a detailed report about its preservation has been framed but nothing has moved till date. It is pertinent to mention that the Samba Fort was constructed by Maharaja Suchet Singh in 1882, but due to negligence of department concerned, the heritage building is converted a spot for drug peddler.
"After independence neither the State government nor Union government have taken any initiatives to preserve the heritage, resulting of which, the heritage building in Samba district is ruining day by day", said a retired lecture Shiv Dev Singh.
Dev further said that the commitment of the respective department could be gauged from this fact that rather than developing as a heritage site, it was handed over to education department till 2010. "The education department left no stone unturned to ruin the same building and the department also modified it as their requirement", he said. A shopkeeper told this correspondent that so far on the name of restoration, preservation of these building, the funds have spent by the department on it, has changed the aesthetic beauty of the heritage building, adding "Without any consultation to respective departments and giving damn to guidelines set by union government to preserve historical building, the executive agencies has arbitrary altered its antiquity. Pertinently, it is not a story of single heritage building, the other heritage situated in Samba facing have faced same apathy by department concerned.
In 2001, the department of Archaeology took responsibly of preservation of three forts- Mohar Garh Fort, Dehar Garh and Buonare Garh but all of them are still facing department apathy. |
