Reducing the plans of restoration of heritage sites to papers is all that what successive popular governments of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state have done for preservation and protecting heritage sites in Jammu & Kashmir. Though several directors of tourism and archives & archeology departments during their service careers debated and discussed plans for restoration of heritage sites in Jammu & Kashmir but Saleem Beig and Khursheed Qadri are the only two retired bureaucrats who have involved and engaged themselves with the protection and preservation of heritage sites of Srinagar City even in the post retirement phase of their lives. Though much better it would have been for them to focus also on heritage sites in other parts of Kashmir valley as there are many heritage sites in several towns and hamlets of Kashmir Valley which are yet to attract the attention of either the tourism or archives & archeology department, but the retired bureaucrats in every district of Kashmir valley could have also engaged themselves with the preservation and protection of heritage sites like Saleem Beig and Khursheed Qadri in their own parent districts. So for so good a couple of retired bureaucrats showing interest in protection and preservation of heritage sites of their own motherland is a great contribution. Worth mentioning is the fact that due to the excellent works of INTACH Chief Saleem Beigh Srinagar is now on the UNESCO list of heritage cities and what matters the most is the fact that Beig deserves appreciations for documenting and digitising all the heritage assets of Srinagar city. While a comprehensive study of the Chief of Kashmir’s INTACH Chapter Saleem Beig on heritage sites of Srinagar City is his great contribution for their preservation and protection , a plan to work on more heritage sites within and outside Srinagar city would surely be a step forward to script a new historical chapter in the preservation and protection of heritage sites in Jammu & Kashmir.
While the Government initiative of identifying17 heritage sites in Kashmir valley and 18 Heritage sites in Jammu division for preservation and protection is a welcome move, the executive committee constituted by the Government for implementation of it’s decision on repairing and renovating already identified 17 heritage sites in Kashmir valley and 18 Heritage sites in Jammu division would do better if it involves with the job of renovation and repairs of heritage sites heritage experts like Saleem Beig and Khursheed Qadri from Kashmir valley and heritage experts of similar experience and expertise from Jammu division. In view of the increasing focus on heritage tourism the government in Jammu & Kashmir would do better if it comes up with a policy on conservation of heritage sites.
Since Khursheed Qadri former Director General Archives & Archeology department has the distinction of having played a key role in reconstruction of SPS museum Srinagar on it’s old architectural design besides remaining on the forefront in preserving Hariparbat fort, Mosque and Tomb of Madeen Sahb Hawal, Bahu Fort Jammu, Part Of Mubarak Mandi now looked after by Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society, Maughal Sarai Chingus Rajouri, Bhimgar Fort Reasi, Ancient Spring Kothier Anantnag, and Ancestral house of Shaer-e-Kashmir Mehjoor at Mitrigam in South Kashmir, it would have been better for Saleem Beig of INTACH to also associate top heritage experts like Qadri with his mission of preserving heritage sites under the banner of INTACH in Kashmir. Notably Qadri is presently association with a voluntery initiative of preserving historical Jamia Masjid Srinagar. While the Government initiative of identifying17 heritage sites in Kashmir valley and 18 Heritage sites in Jammu division for preservation and protection is a welcome move, the executive committee constituted by the Government for implementation of it’s decision on repairing and renovating already identified 17 heritage sites in Kashmir valley and 18 Heritage sites in Jammu division would do better if it involves with the job of renovation and repairs of heritage sites heritage experts like Saleem Beig and Khursheed Qadri from Kashmir valley and heritage experts of similar experience and expertise from Jammu division. In view of the increasing focus on heritage tourism the government in Jammu & Kashmir would do better if it comes up with a policy on conservation of heritage sites.
