Altaf Bukhari reviews progress of Education Deptt’s heritage conservation prog

          SRINAGAR, AUGUST 18: Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today convened a meeting to review conservation, retrofitting and upgradation of two educational heritage buildings under the Department’s heritage conservation programme.

          During the meeting, Conservation Architect Ms Gurmeet Rai and CEO CUBE, IIT (Madras) Major General Padmanaban gave a detailed presentation about conservation of the two monuments of education: Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s 150-year-old residential house at Lolab Kupwara and 19th century building blocks housing Government Girls’ Secondary School at Ashai Kocha, Fateh Kadal Srinagar.

          The conservation and retrofitting project would be the first project of its kind to develop retrofitting guidelines for Taq buildings in Kashmir.

          The Minister was briefed about the conservation programme formulated for the two projects which would address functional concerns and conserve the historic, aesthetic, and technological values that the houses embody owing to its association with the illustrious scholars and educationists of Kashmir. They also informed the meeting about the expected outcomes of the project and the estimate cost for the project. 

          Secretary School Education Farooq Ahmad Shah, DC Srinagar Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone, Director School Education Kashmir, CEO Kupwara, Dr Javaid Ahmad Bhat from NIT Srinagar, Mohammad Anwar Ashai, Farooq Ahmad the grand grandson of Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri and other concerned officials.

          On the occasion, the Minister said that the Government is committed to preserve the heritage buildings and asked the architects that these schools should set examples as for as the preservation of heritage is concerned. 

          He directed the concerned officials to complete all the necessary paperwork at an earliest so that the conservation process is started as soon as possible.