Rafique A. Khan
1835 Apex Ave. Los Angeles
California 90026. USA
DOODPATHER , ANOTHER PAHALGAM LIKE SLUM IN THE MAKING
Doodpather, a series of Alpine meadows in Kashmir near Badgam, are of breathtaking pristine undisturbed natural beauty. Doodpather is being “discovered”. Kashmir government is making it into a tourist resort. The government works projects are underway. Seeing these projects – a rest house, parking lot, and approach roads brought back memories of my childhood visits to Pahalgam in the early 50’s. Pahalgam then was a pristine place; fifty years later, now, it has become a dirt slum like town. The public works underway in Doodpather are seeds of blight that, unless checked, will make Doodpather into another slum like Pahalgam.
Doodpather is series of meadows, I saw three. In the first meadow a government rest house is under construction. The tourist rest house is like a two story “city-house” made of brick. This structure in its building design, the building material used in construction and at its location appears as an unacceptable intrusion in the natural environment. Next to the rest house are ugly water works structures and another government building. These structures dominate the valley and mar the pristine setting of the meadow.
The approach road bisects all three meadows. This road placement may be prudent as an engineering project; it spells disaster for the natural serenity of the place. And then there are the temporary shanty town roadside bazaars in the making in the second and third meadows. A huge parking pad with its massive earthwork is an ugly scare in the second meadow.
The enthused tourism officials understandably are showcasing their projects by placing them at the most prominent locations in the meadows, and, the public works officials are in turn using the most direct and cost effective means for doing the public works. But in a place like Doodpather man made elements - buildings and infrastructure projects- should be subservient to the natural elements of the environment.
The existing road with its shanty bazaars are embroyo of a future slum. Thus Doodpather is headed the way of Pahalgam. To avoid this disaster my submission is that public infrastructure and private development in Doodpather should be done based on a thoughtful redevelopment plan that integrates development with conserving the natural environment where construction works enhance the natural settings.
The natural setting of Doodpather could be enhanced and Doodpather could be made into a destination by a thought full over all redevelopment plan, perhaps along the following lines:
For the third meadow, where the present road ends consider to:
1. Realign the road. Remove the existing road in the middle of the meadow and instead provide a road around the meadow below the forest line skirting the existing Gujjar huts and the Ziyarat. That would leave the central meadow in its natural state.
2. Designate land use zones for the meadow. (a) Below the forest line, designate a meadow preservation zone in the center, where no above ground construction would be permitted. (b) Designate a residential zone for the existing Gujjar settlements with adequate room for their expansion. This zone should have building design regulation to ensure that all construction is compatible with the natural setting. Under the design guidelines modern construction would be permitted; use of building material and building form (shape) would be regulated. (c) Create an institutional use zone for the Ziyarat and adjacent area. The Ziyarat structure should be improved and expanded with appropriate design compatible with the surrounding. (d) Designate a commercial zone at the far end of the meadow. This place may be suitable for a ski run. If the ski run is feasible then suitable development could be planned as part of the ski run.
For the second meadow, this has a small stream.
1. Here also as in the third meadow the existing road should be removed and realigned to skirt the forest line and the meadow.
2. Possibility of creating a water body, a lake or series of water ponds with falls, should be investigated, including building a micro hydral project(s).
3. This meadow could be place to create an iconic structure on the road linking the third and first meadow. This could be a timer frame visitor center building as part and over a timber bridge structure, reminiscent of historic bridges of Kashmir.
4. Along the edge of the water body a hotel with conference facilities and other amenities for a tourist resort of appropriate scale and design could be considered.
5. In this meadow also need is to designate appropriate land use zones and urban design guidelines and regulations.
For the first meadow:
1. First the need is to arrest and reverse the blight created by existing public works. This could be done by relocating and or redesigning the existing and under construction structures. Another alternative may be to surround the structures with mature trees. In other words extend the forest tree line to screen the structures from view.
2. As in the other two meadows, the access route and land use zones and design guidelines need to be put in place. The land uses which may include institutional uses and or private residential could be determined by a market feasibility study.
The overall development of Doodpather needs to have a strategic plan for providing amenities for attracting appropriate tourists. This may include developing scenic tracking routes connecting Doodpather area with other areas of interest for nature lovers. Other alternative could be developing facilities for hosting training and retreats of business travelers and or housing and related recreational facilities for family vacations.
Doodpather is a gift of Mother Nature. It needs to be preserved and enhanced for future generations.
Rafique A. Khan, a Kashmiri-American practicing city planner is based in los Angeles. For feedback:Rafiquekhan@kashmirrelief.org; Rafiquekhan2008@gmail.com
Sunday, September 14, 2008
RE: Archeological Survey of India
RAFIQUE A. KHAN
1835 APEX AVE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90026, USA
TELEPHONE 323 662 7686
October 15, 2007
PHONE: 323 662 7686 • FAX: 323 660 5447
September 14, 2008 REMINDER
Director General
Archeological Survey of India
11 Jan Path
New Delhi, INDIA
Dear Director General:
I am aware of the marvelous work that the Archeological Survey of India has done in preservation of historic monuments in India. Thus I was distressed to observe the neglect and resulting slow but sure destruction of monuments of Kashmir that I visited recently. This letter is to report of what I saw and request your immediate attention for corrective measures.
During my stay in Kashmir I visited four monuments under control of Archeological Survey of India : (1) At Harwan, near Srinagar, the site of 4th Buddhist Conference (2) The Naranag Temple at Wangat (3) The Dara Shaku Mosque in Srinagar and (4) King Budshah Tomb in Srinagar.
(1) At Harwan, overlooking the Dal Lake, in a narrow mountain valley is the building complex believed to be the site were the 4th Buddhist congress was held. The antiquities, mostly building walls, are spread over some 10 acres in three terraces. There are foundations of some half a dozed structures of varied sizes, from a four room house and to renaments of buildings with large courtyards of what must have been expansive structures.
The site could be, should be, a pilgrimage and leaning center, a showcase of the Buddhist Culture that flourished in Kashmir for eight centuries. Instead, slowly but surely the antiquities and the ambiance of the sacred place is being destroyed. Within the site and in the surrounding mountain valley are some very ugly intrusive water supply related public utility structures. Nearby a communication tower is being built. These structures obstructing the panoramic view from the site and intrude on the tranquility of the place. The site has no motor able access. The existing pedestrian route is difficult and made more circuitous by a fence with locked gate. It is apparent that there is no archeological investigation work attempted at the site. It was disconcerting to learn that recently antiquities from the site have been removed and taken out of Kashmir by Archeological Department officials.
(2) Naranag is an amazing place. How did this large complex of stone buildings built in terraces on the banks of a river in a remote alpine valley which even now is not easily accessible come about, I wonder. The transportation of enormous stones which must weigh hundreds of tons brought to the area and hauled some forty feet up to build the monumental buildings seems like a marvel at the engineering and artist genius of these builders. To build and run this place, there must have been an enormous organized human presence in the area? Sadly only the decay and blight that surrounds the area is apparent now. A shanty town, base camp for mountain trekking, is in the making around the site. Domestic animals room freely; there is encroachment on public land. Private and public structures of inappropriate materials and shoddy construction abound.
The most disturbing aspect of my visit was seeing these monuments being buried in mud washed by a recent rainfall. Under the stewardship of the archeological survey of India this heritage monument being buried instead of being discovered.
(3) Dara Shaku Mosque Complex at Srinagar. Overlooking the city of Srinagar, the mosque is in midst of a courtyard with surrounding cubicals. Together with the stately Chinar trees and remnants of a water garden this place gives the appearance of having been grand. Here also there is no attempt at the upkeep of the place. Dogs and stray animals roam freely. The place is littered with garbage. The place seems to have become a haven for vagabonds and petty gamblers.
This monument is also terraced. On one side, south-east corner of the mosque in the second terrace, I observed leaking water from a higher terrace seeping into the mosque foundation. Thus endangering the structure.
(4) Budshah Cemetery a Srinagar. On the banks of river Jehlum in the middle of the city the main structure in the cemetery, tomb of Budshahs mother, is one of most recognized monuments of Kashmir. All of the area, some of it under private ownership, is full of weeds. A path recently build in the middle of the cemetery seemed to be out of character with the architectural ambiance of the place. The tomb itself, I was shocked to see, is used for material storage and an improvised kitchen.
My objective for this writing is to help in preserving these and other historic monuments of Kashmir. Based on what I saw and my discussion with knowledgeable people in the area I learned certain disturbing information.
1. It seems that Archeological Survey emphasis in Kashmir is on improvements above ground. There seems to be no attempt at digging for discovery. Instead public works that generate building contact work and associated benefits seemed to get budgeted.
2. Under the jurisdiction of the Archeological Survey of India there are some 46 monuments in Kashmir and 5 monuments in Jammu. Yet the office of the J and K State is located in Jammu. The number of employees and their tenure also seemed disproportionate.
I want to share this information with you and would very much appreciate your timely response.
Thank you.
Sincerely
Rafique A. Khan
Rafiquekhan@kashmirrelief.org.
Copy:
Superintendent Archeological Survey of India, 141 AD Greenbelt Park Jammu
World Monuments Fund, 95 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016 (wmf@wmf.org)
Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo, Greater Kashmir, 6 Partab Park Press Enclave Residency Road Srinagar Kashmir (FAX 2477782) Editor@greaterkashmir.com
1835 APEX AVE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90026, USA
TELEPHONE 323 662 7686
October 15, 2007
PHONE: 323 662 7686 • FAX: 323 660 5447
September 14, 2008 REMINDER
Director General
Archeological Survey of India
11 Jan Path
New Delhi, INDIA
Dear Director General:
I am aware of the marvelous work that the Archeological Survey of India has done in preservation of historic monuments in India. Thus I was distressed to observe the neglect and resulting slow but sure destruction of monuments of Kashmir that I visited recently. This letter is to report of what I saw and request your immediate attention for corrective measures.
During my stay in Kashmir I visited four monuments under control of Archeological Survey of India : (1) At Harwan, near Srinagar, the site of 4th Buddhist Conference (2) The Naranag Temple at Wangat (3) The Dara Shaku Mosque in Srinagar and (4) King Budshah Tomb in Srinagar.
(1) At Harwan, overlooking the Dal Lake, in a narrow mountain valley is the building complex believed to be the site were the 4th Buddhist congress was held. The antiquities, mostly building walls, are spread over some 10 acres in three terraces. There are foundations of some half a dozed structures of varied sizes, from a four room house and to renaments of buildings with large courtyards of what must have been expansive structures.
The site could be, should be, a pilgrimage and leaning center, a showcase of the Buddhist Culture that flourished in Kashmir for eight centuries. Instead, slowly but surely the antiquities and the ambiance of the sacred place is being destroyed. Within the site and in the surrounding mountain valley are some very ugly intrusive water supply related public utility structures. Nearby a communication tower is being built. These structures obstructing the panoramic view from the site and intrude on the tranquility of the place. The site has no motor able access. The existing pedestrian route is difficult and made more circuitous by a fence with locked gate. It is apparent that there is no archeological investigation work attempted at the site. It was disconcerting to learn that recently antiquities from the site have been removed and taken out of Kashmir by Archeological Department officials.
(2) Naranag is an amazing place. How did this large complex of stone buildings built in terraces on the banks of a river in a remote alpine valley which even now is not easily accessible come about, I wonder. The transportation of enormous stones which must weigh hundreds of tons brought to the area and hauled some forty feet up to build the monumental buildings seems like a marvel at the engineering and artist genius of these builders. To build and run this place, there must have been an enormous organized human presence in the area? Sadly only the decay and blight that surrounds the area is apparent now. A shanty town, base camp for mountain trekking, is in the making around the site. Domestic animals room freely; there is encroachment on public land. Private and public structures of inappropriate materials and shoddy construction abound.
The most disturbing aspect of my visit was seeing these monuments being buried in mud washed by a recent rainfall. Under the stewardship of the archeological survey of India this heritage monument being buried instead of being discovered.
(3) Dara Shaku Mosque Complex at Srinagar. Overlooking the city of Srinagar, the mosque is in midst of a courtyard with surrounding cubicals. Together with the stately Chinar trees and remnants of a water garden this place gives the appearance of having been grand. Here also there is no attempt at the upkeep of the place. Dogs and stray animals roam freely. The place is littered with garbage. The place seems to have become a haven for vagabonds and petty gamblers.
This monument is also terraced. On one side, south-east corner of the mosque in the second terrace, I observed leaking water from a higher terrace seeping into the mosque foundation. Thus endangering the structure.
(4) Budshah Cemetery a Srinagar. On the banks of river Jehlum in the middle of the city the main structure in the cemetery, tomb of Budshahs mother, is one of most recognized monuments of Kashmir. All of the area, some of it under private ownership, is full of weeds. A path recently build in the middle of the cemetery seemed to be out of character with the architectural ambiance of the place. The tomb itself, I was shocked to see, is used for material storage and an improvised kitchen.
My objective for this writing is to help in preserving these and other historic monuments of Kashmir. Based on what I saw and my discussion with knowledgeable people in the area I learned certain disturbing information.
1. It seems that Archeological Survey emphasis in Kashmir is on improvements above ground. There seems to be no attempt at digging for discovery. Instead public works that generate building contact work and associated benefits seemed to get budgeted.
2. Under the jurisdiction of the Archeological Survey of India there are some 46 monuments in Kashmir and 5 monuments in Jammu. Yet the office of the J and K State is located in Jammu. The number of employees and their tenure also seemed disproportionate.
I want to share this information with you and would very much appreciate your timely response.
Thank you.
Sincerely
Rafique A. Khan
Rafiquekhan@kashmirrelief.org.
Copy:
Superintendent Archeological Survey of India, 141 AD Greenbelt Park Jammu
World Monuments Fund, 95 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016 (wmf@wmf.org)
Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo, Greater Kashmir, 6 Partab Park Press Enclave Residency Road Srinagar Kashmir (FAX 2477782) Editor@greaterkashmir.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
