Danish reports on the sorry state of the Naseem Bagh
Where is KU’s heritage park?
Danish Zargar (Kashmir Times)
Sringar: After chopping the heritage Chinars, amid controversies regarding ‘preservation’, the heritage park at Naseem Bagh in Kashmir University is nowhere in sight.
Instead, there is the picturesque corner of the campus houses the ‘monstrous guesthouse’ constructed in violation of norms, surrounded by the scars of demolished barracks.
The decision to convert Naseem Bagh, spanning over 500 Kanals of land, was made in January last year. The Varsity claimed that the move was aimed at preservation of Chinars.
Subsequently, the authorities began pruning of Chinars amid wide criticism.
The sources within the varsity told Kashmir Times that the “ambitiously” started project has been reduced to mere pruning of Chinars and demolition of buildings.
“The announcement about the conversion of Naseem Bagh into Heritage Park was made on January 13 last year. But so far we have only witnessed denuding of Chinars and demolition of buildings (huts),” sources said. “All this was done in the name of the heritage park which is yet to become visible. A year on, the rubble of demolished huts is yet to be removed.”
The project, according to sources, was likely to take a hit due to varsity’s shortage of funds. Pertinently, the fund shortage has already forced the varsity to reduce the salaries of contractual, academic, employees by almost 40 per cent.
“The University does not have funds to pursue the project. The authorities are planning to appeal Non-Governmental Organizations for funding the project,” they said.
The design of the proposed park is also incomplete.
“The design is being constructed by a company from Delhi. After its completion the design will be discussed with the vice chancellor for its approval and it surely is not going to happen anytime soon,” sources said.
Naseem Bagh was constructed on the banks of Dal Lake by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1586 AD. The area was known for its dense cover of around 718 Chinars which even prevented sunlight from reaching the ground.
The area served as Engineering College before construction of a separate Regional Engineering College at Nigeen. Subsequently the huts in the area were used as classrooms and the residential quarters for KU faculty.
“Throughout the summer, the shade of Chinars was badly missed. The pruning made the trees look like lifeless electric poles. One feels sorry for the present state of Naseem Bagh,” said a student of law department at KU, wishing anonymity. “At present it does not seem to be doing Naseem Bagh any good. Who knows what the authorities are up to?”
Meanwhile, the varsity has completed construction of multi-storey guest house within Naseem. The construction of the building was started in 2007 in violation of norms, banning construction of concrete structures in the vicinity of Chinars at Naseem Bagh.
The move evoked protests from students and severe criticism from social activists and environmentalists.
The authorities, however, asserted that the project was being completed in phases. “It is not a project in which we can say with surety that it is going to take one or two years. We are completing it phase wise,” said head of the department Landscape division, KU, Prof Basher Ahmad Wafai. Wafai is also heading the heritage park project.
“Right now we are in the phase of treating diseased Chinars through pruning. We have also removed the necessary barracks from the area and around 40 to 50 families residing in them have been relocated,” Wafai admitting the design of the Park was yet to be finalized.
Asked if the scarcity of funds would affect the project, Wafai admitted that the plan was to appeal NGOs and banks for funding.
“We were to make an appeal through press last year but the circumstances did not allow it. Now we will publicise the appeal so that the varsity does not have to bare the entire load of the project.”