Sajjad Kichloo chairs Joint House Committee meeting

Seeks early submission of enquiry report on Tosha Khana fire mishap

JAMMU, DECEMBER 04: The Joint House Committee on Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex of Jammu and Kashmir, today expressed dismay over inordinate delay in submission of enquiry report on fire mishap in Tosha Khana, Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex by the Divisional Administration.

MLC, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, while chairing a meeting of the Committee in this regard, had threadbare discussion on various issues regarding the status of enquiry on this fire incident in the historic monument of the state.

Pertinently, on December 15, 2006, a devastating fire broke out in an important part of Mubarak Mandi complex which houses treasury of Maharaja's period known as "Tosha-Khana" which resulted into shifting of antiques of Maharaja's period from Mubarak Mandi to the civil secretariat.

However, the Chairman of the Committee expressed disappointment over the absence of committee members from the meeting saying that it badly hampers the purpose of holding such meetings besides depriving the people from timely justice.

The Committee asked the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, then Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, present Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Director Hospitality Protocol Jammu, Director Archives Archaeology and Museums and Toshakhana Officers to attend the next meeting to be held in this regard on 18th December, 2017.             

The Chairman, while maintaining that Tosha-Khana, which housed valuable articles, gold ornaments and decorative materials, utensils, etc, has unparalleled financial, historical and sentimental value, exhorted upon the concerned to step up their efforts for speedy furnishing of the enquiry report on the matter.

Legislators, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, S. Charanjeet Singh, Rajesh Gupta, Pawan Kumar Gupta and Ashok Khajuria besides Special Secretary, Legislative Council, Abdul Majid Wani, Deputy Secretary, Legislative Council, Ali Mohd Rawat and senior officers and officials of Council Secretariat attended the meeting.