Govt fails to restore Maharaj Gunj market to its erstwhile glory

mayyah Qureshi

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 8

In one of the oldest markets of Srinagar city, Maharaj Gunj, buckled footpaths, decrepit buildings and decaying pillars and walls is what instantly catches the eye.

The remnants of the British architecture still dot the market, which houses more than 250 shops, located along the right bank of the Jhelum. The market is a picture of government indifference. Despite taking up the upgrade of the historic market under the Smart City project at a cost of Rs1 crore, the government has failed to restore it to its erstwhile glory.

As per an official document, the upgrade of the market under the Smart City funds has been completed at a cost of Rs1 crore. Traders, however, said the front roofing of a couple of buildings, two walls of two buildings facing each other and the footpath leading to a park was all that had been repaired under the Smart City convergence project.

“We had given Rs3 crore for retrofitting, conservation and façade improvement of heritage networks in three markets in downtown Srinagar – Maharaj Gunj, Bohri Kadal and Zaina Kadal,” said Shahid Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar.

“We have approved a project of Rs10 crore for Maharaj Gunj, which will be taken up by the Tourism Department. We will involve heritage experts and make it a heritage market. It will have underground cabling. The work is scheduled to start in March,” the DC said.

Built in 1886 by Dogra ruler Ranbir Singh, the market, also called SR (Shri Ranbir) Gunj, is named after him and used to be an abode of shoppers and merchants in earlier times. From shawls to carpets to walnut wood-carved furniture, everything used to be readily available here until the market lost its aura and fell into ruin.

Khurshid Ahmad, president of the traders’ union at Maharaj Gunj, said nothing much had been upgraded in the market. “There are no streetlights, footpaths are broken and there is not even a public convenience. The surface drains have not been covered and there is no parking,” Khurshid said, adding that traders used to send their items and produce through water transport to all parts of the Valley and even to Tashkent and Samarkand.

At two other markets – Bohri Kadal and Zaina Kadal, which the government had taken up under the Smart City project at a cost of Rs1 crore each, traders said they had not seen any major change or development. “Except the facade improvement of some shops, we cannot see any change,” said Ghulam Nabi, a shopkeeper at Zaina Kadal, who is also the head of the traders’ union.