SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has allocated Rs 120 crore for heritage conservation during the current financial year, with over 100 architectural and heritage restoration projects either underway or cleared for execution across the Union Territory.
According to figures presented by the Culture Department, 33 heritage projects worth Rs 64.25 crore were taken up under Phase I. At the same time, 73 more have been identified in Phase II, of which Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 71 are ready and administrative approval has already been granted for 61.
Principal Secretary of the Culture Department, Brij Mohan Sharma, said that the Department would collaborate with the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) for expertise in conservation and design. In addition, Rs 2 crore has been projected to upgrade Tagore Hall in Srinagar, Rs 2.23 crore for Abhinav Theatre, Jammu, and Rs 1.50 crore for Kala Kendra, Jammu.
Major projects under implementation or planning include the restoration of the Shergarhi Palace, conservation and adaptive reuse of structures at the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, construction of Tehzeeb Mahal, and completion of the new building of the SPS Museum in Srinagar. Other proposals include the installation of a vertical lift between the Peerkho Cable Car terminal and the Mubarak Mandi complex, and the creation of dedicated parking spaces for heritage sites in Jammu.
The meeting was also informed that 6 Mughal gardens of the Kashmir valley have been proposed for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, while several archaeological sites are being processed for designation as protected monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Data presented during the review also highlighted progress in library and manuscript preservation. Jammu and Kashmir currently operates 131 libraries, with 14 lakh books and 5,580 manuscripts. The Oriental Research Library houses over 33,000 printed books, 166 miniature paintings, 150 microfilms, and 850 rare books, including a 750-year-old Arabic manuscript on medicine, Qarabadin. The department has also published 125 titles from local authors.
Digitisation of archives remains a major thrust area. So far, 25.80 lakh pages of archival records have been digitised in Srinagar and 55 lakh pages in Jammu. Manuscript digitisation includes 1,054 manuscripts in Srinagar and 183 in Jammu, with the remainder to be completed within a set timeline.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, who chaired the high-level meeting, directed the Culture Department to ensure administrative approvals are expedited and the pace of restoration works accelerated. He urged officers to maintain district-wise balance while selecting projects and to implement conservation works in a professionally aesthetic manner to attract heritage tourism.
Regarding the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, Dulloo asked for the newly developed reading room and cafeteria to be made operational and pressed for planning adequate parking space. He also asked the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to activate cultural programming at the site in coordination with the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
The Chief Secretary reviewed ongoing work at the SPS Museum and examined progress on the revised DPR for the new building. He emphasised that restored structures should not be left idle but reused creatively to ensure functional sustainability and continued public engagement.
