Sad day in the history of Sultanpur Lodhi: the Lahore Gate of the Qila Sarai has fallen! I wonder what would it take for the run of the mill politician that when it is to do with matters of heritage and conservation, it is best left to the protagonists. When experts concerned with the heritage come calling, instead of welcoming them, they tried to cause hurdles and denied a chance at conserving one of the last remaining monuments which was a witness of the most important era in Sikh, Islamic and Indic history. With a paltry sum of 19.5 Lacs of rupees, they unilaterally went ahead with the so called restoration work (contract given out to an architect named Nupur) without consulting Anad Foundation and its expert committee. It was a shameful act and by people who do not know how to contain their egos - people who do not know when to stop their BS and to accept that they are not experts and that they need help. No technical/project report was made. It was just a shoddy little document that revealed the callous attitude of all people concerned and which became the guideline of the architectural intervention by the Punjab Tourism department headed by Geetika Kalha. The contractor was not paid properly. The mortar was not made properly. It was not restoration but merely removing the old/existing plaster and redoing it. A major portion of the East facing part of the Lahore Gate had fallen when they were doing that work. When the new plaster began to peel off, I had complained and cried my heart out that please do not do this - that this was rape and murder of our cultural heritage! The concerned department quickly got two three labourers to peel of the new plaster, damaging the centuries old exquisitely done masonry work. They were supposed to re-plaster it. Architect Gurmit Rai had called me and informed, in a pacifying tone, that she will be handling the work herself. I had asked her if she had any vision about the monument. She had said that she will send the mortar from where her other works was going on in Amritsar. It never happened. The result was that the Lahore Gate was stripped bare off its existing plaster that had at least held the monument for decades and the structure was exposed to the harsh weather conditions - be it rain, fog, humidity, heat, winds, etc. The heavy vehicular traffic because of the existing Police Station also caused light tremors which was hastening the occurrence of this tragedy. The sewage line had been laid years ago and the foundation stones were also removed by then local police officials. This is for the first time I am holding my Chief Minister responsible for not having heeded to the wise counsel brought at his door step by Anad Foundation, its Anad Scientific Advisory Committee volunteers headed by the famed architect Professor Paolo Ceccarelli and me. He succumbed to the diktat of his local party chief and although allowing us to continue to teach from the Qila premises, did not do enough to call spade a spade. He should have done better. He should have done it on time. It is still not all lost. What has fallen cannot be undone. Fortunately, the Project Architects of the Anad Foundation have done a detailed analysis and measurement of the fallen monument and it can be rebuilt. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sahib, it is time to do some work. Let this tragedy be the waking up call. The decisions you took in the meetings were never put on paper except a worthy mention in the MoMs. Why? You and I know why! We the protagonists of Punjabs cultural heritage are not beggars at the doors of the Punjab Government and its Administration - we are contributors and donors. We bring ideas and have the capacity of keeping the soil fertile. Do not let termites hold sway. It was your responsibility. It still is your responsibility. I had said when presenting the project to the Punjab Government: This (Lahore Gate) is currently an entrance to the local Police Station. Imagine, if it were to become the entrance to one of the finest institutes dedicated to the study of cultural traditions and this thematically chosen site the home of the cultural resurgence and renaissance of Punjab! We the protagonists of Punjabs cultural heritage will win - we always win. O Punjab Government, your part of the script in the story has not been impressive and it just got murkier!
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 14:42:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015