On the face of it, Samba Fort is duly displayed on the tourist map but like proverbial all that glitters necessarily could not be gold, in the same way the treatment from the authorities from time to time, which this part of glorious legacy deserved, is nowhere to be found. How unfortunate and even disgusting it looks where ancient monuments cannot be preserved, looked after and sustained especially having promise of attracting a good number of tourists. We, many a time while dealing with such issues, reiterate that after an initial investment, the spot, the monument, the symbol of historical and cultural legacy etc would start generating revenues on its own (from the tourists) so as to generate funds for the upkeep on a continuous basis.
Looking to the dilapidated condition of Samba Fort constructed somewhere in 1822 by Maharaja Sucheet Singh is crying loud and clear in respect of sheer neglect at the hands of the successive Governments in Jammu and Kashmir where in spite of representation from Jammu in such Governments, the local leaders too unfortunately could do nothing about it. How many times in the then state Assembly sessions the issue was ever raised in respect of this fort requiring immediate restoration through professionals and experts, of course gradually. Had such a persuasion been there, the condition of this proud historical legacy perhaps would not have been in such a pitiable condition. Any ”overall” development is not worth the name in case we spend nothing in preserving our past glory and heritage and not pass on the same to the coming generations.
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