SRINAGAR: Former Minister and senior leader Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Ajay Sadhotra has expressed serious concern over the move to convert the Historic Mubarak Mandi complex into a hotel.
Opposing the move, Sadhotra alleged that BJP Government is hell-bent upon vanishing Dogra history and culture.
“First BJP divided princely State into two union territories, secondly abolish 35-A which was protection for land and jobs security to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and now converting the Historic Mubarak Mandi complex into a hotel”, he added.
He said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have an emotional attachment with the historic monument as it was the seat of power of the Dogra dynasty and any attempt to convert this Heritage building to a hotel will create bad blood.
If the building is preserved as Monument, thousands of tourists from the country and outside the country will come to see and know about the Dogra history and history of princely J&K State, he added.
He asked the Government to review its decision of converting this Monument into the hotel and preserve it as a Heritage Monument as has been done by the Hyderabad Government by preserving the Chowmahalla Palace of Nizam of Hyderabad.
“Government should take up the execution of a master plan of this historical Mubarak Mandi on war footing as crores of rupees has been spent on Mubarak Mandi time to time by different Governments”, he stated.
