Against all odds: Jammu man defies road widening project to save home filled with memories

ANI

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), December 8

In the face of a looming demolition, one man’s love for his late wife refused to be extinguished. Jagmohan Singh, a resident of Jammu, is undertaking a remarkable feat to preserve the memories of his wife; moving his entire four-story house 160 feet away from its original location.

“In 2017, I built this house with my wife with the support of our family. My wife designed each section of the house. It was a labour of love, and it’s full of memories for us. But now, it’s in the way of a road-widening project. The National Highway Authority official said that it has to be demolished,” said the house owner.

This house was more than just bricks and mortar for Singh and his wife. They built it together, pouring their love and hard work into every detail. Tragically, Singh’s wife lost her life to COVID-19, leaving a void that the house itself helped fill with memories.

Singh has hired a specialised company to move his entire four-story house to avoid demolition.

“I can’t bear the thought of losing this house. It’s more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a symbol of our love and our life together. I heard that it’s possible to move houses, so I did some internet research. I found a company that specialises in house relocation. They said it would cost around Rs 50 to 60 lakh, but I didn’t care. The memories of my wife are worth more than anything,” said Singh.

He discovered a Haryana-based company, HSBL, that specialised in house lifting and relocation. This innovative technology offered a ray of hope.

“The total cost of shifting the building is around Rs 50-60 lakh because Rs 20-25 lakh is labour cost,” Singh explained. “Risk cover has been guaranteed by the HSBL company.”

“At that time, the cost of construction of this building was Rs 1 crore.”

“HSBL is confident that they can move the house safely and efficiently. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hoping that we can save this house. My daughter says that even if her mother is gone, she’ll always remember her if we can keep the house,” Singh said.

The shifting is expected to be completed within the next three months.

“We are doing jack work,” said Dhoom Singh, Manager of HSBL.

“We are doing work on building shifting. We will do it. The basement is already dug. We will complete it. This is the first time in Jammu,” concluded Dhoom Singh.  

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