Srinagar: Senior Congress leader Prof. Saifuddin Soz Thursday said that improvising Srinagar City’s Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar) at Lal Chowk, should have been left to a future elected government as the current administration is not expected to reach the people, at large, and, therefore, misunderstandings can crop up, anytime.
Soz said that Srinagar’s historic “Ganta Ghar” which is now widely recognized as “a silent witness to Kashmir’s strong political narrative, for decades”, has become a matter of deep concern for “the general run of Kashmiris.
Soz said the people of Kashmir are really sensitive about their cultural moorings, particularly the heritage.
“Against this background, I sought some clarification about the Ganta Ghar Project from the officers In charge of Smart City Project Srinagar who said that the Ganta Ghar was being restored by the SMC to its original glory.”
“An eminent scholar told me in this connection that the Lal Chowk’s “Ghanta Ghar” was rebuilt by Bajaj Electricals in 1979 under the instructions from the then Chief Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, who had the fortune of making many soul-stirring speeches from this very spot, during the Freedom Struggle,” Soz said.
He said there is no doubt that Srinagar’s Lal Chowk has a history of its own and Kashmiris cherish “Lal Chowk’s” history as a precious part of their “history of struggle. [KNT]
