Plenty of land for encroachers, not for cultural heritage
*No Cultural Policy even one year after CM’s directive
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 29: A major cultural initiative announced with much fanfare has stumbled at the execution stage with seven of the eight proposed Cultural Centers for Jammu and Kashmir still awaiting land, funds and due official attention thereby exposing serious gaps in planning, coordination and follow-up. Moreover, even one year after the explicit directive of the Chief Minister, the Union Territory’s first Cultural Policy has yet not been finalized.
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On July 23, 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting Budget for the Union Territory in the Parliament, announced the establishment and operationalization of eight Cultural Centers in Jammu and Kashmir to promote art, heritage and cultural activities across the region.
However, nearly one and half year later, only one Cultural Center has been constructed and even that remains non-operational due to non-availability of funds for furniture and fixtures, official sources told EXCELSIOR, “this centre constructed in Kathua district can be put to use only after all the facilities are made available for which the concerned officials are expecting funds during the next financial year only”.
More alarmingly, no progress whatsoever has been made on the remaining seven Cultural Centers as no Government land has been identified or made available for their construction, sources informed, adding “this is despite the fact that large tracts of Government land continue to remain under encroachment in several districts, raising questions about the seriousness of the administration in translating budget announcements into reality”.
Bandipora and Anantnag in Kashmir division and Kishtwar, Udhampur and Poonch in Jammu division were among the districts identified for construction of remaining seven Cultural Centers.
“A complete lack of coordination between the Culture Department and district administrations has resulted in the ambitious announcement remaining largely on paper. Without land identification and basic groundwork, such announcements are reduced to mere optics,” a senior officer admitted on the condition of anonymity.
The officer said, “huge State land in these districts is under encroachment and had serious efforts been made to retrieve some suitable portion of the same, work on the Cultural Centers could have been started till now”, adding “even otherwise, barren State land patches are available in almost all the districts of the Union Territory and transferring the same to the Culture Department was not a daunting task”.
When contacted, an officer of the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages confirmed that no land has been made available in these seven districts for the construction of Cultural Centers. “Where we will construct the centers? We have repeatedly been approaching the administration in these districts but they have not proposed any suitable land till date”, the officer said.
However, the officer admitted that once constructed these Cultural Centers will go a long way in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage by serving as hubs for artistic activities, cultural exchanges and nurturing local talents.
Meanwhile, there is inordinate delay in framing first-ever comprehensive Cultural Policy of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
While chairing a review meeting of the Department of Culture at Civil Secretariat Jammu on December 10, 2024, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stressed the need for a comprehensive Cultural Policy for J&K and urged the department to consult stakeholders. “Engage with the stakeholders to formalize a robust Cultural Policy as early as possible,” he had directed the department.
“However, even after the lapse of one year, the policy has not been finalized”, sources informed, adding “though discussions are going on in the Culture Department but the policy has not been submitted for the placement before the Cabinet for approval”.
Cultural activists and artists have expressed disappointment, stating that J&K’s rich and diverse cultural heritage continues to suffer due to administrative apathy and policy paralysis. “Announcements are made, but execution is missing. Culture cannot survive on speeches alone,” they said.
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