Between Citizens, Coalition Govt, And The Dal’s New Lampposts

Srinagar—The move to replace concrete lampposts girdling the Dal Lake along the Boulevard with ornate cast iron ones has earned the government scathing criticism from netizens on aesthetic and historical grounds, with strong calls going out to halt and reverse the project which many have termed as “vandalism” and “insensitive.”

Particularly, netizens have expressed a sense of hurt and humiliation at the removal of the state emblem which the old posts are said to carry.

In comments peppered with cutting humour, the wholesale revamp of Boulevard’s street lighting system has been variously attributed to lack of cultural awareness on the part of authorities, the desire to appease favoured individuals, and yet another bid to pilfer the state’s coffers by needless expenditure.

Flagging the discussion on the social media, noted columnist Z G Muhammad has described the replacement as a “bad idea.”

“I do not know whose idea it has been to (replace) the old (lampposts), which blended so well with the ambience and added romance to evenings, with black unaesthetic lampposts,” he has posted.

“The earlier ones with the beautiful state emblem made a statement – a huge statement. The emblem has been removed from the ugly cast iron post… One is constrained to see the removal of the state emblem as a compulsion of coalition mantra,” Z G Muhammad has added.

“naqshe kuhan mitney chahiyey  (all traces of history must be erased),” noted academician Muhammad Aslam has responded.

Joining in, Manejeh Yaqub has written: “Unnecessary expeditions have dark reasons. Agreed, these new lampposts are a horror picture…But the deliberate removal of the state emblem is unforgivable.”

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The lively discussion has drawn comments from people of backgrounds as varied as the judiciary, engineering and the administration stoutly defending the aesthetic value of the old lampposts and unsparing of the replacement project now under way.

 “I also felt very bad at this unaesthetic change,” poet Ayaz Rasool Nazki has said. “Must be reversed.”

 Cement posts were made by engineering wing of tourism department in 1998 when I was posted as AEE in tourism on the old pattern by my colleague Mirza Raza, says Raza Aga .

Retired IAS officer Nassem Lankar has categorized the change as a “spending spree and nothing else.”

“The old posts were installed in 50’s during Bakhshi Sb Regime.This post was designed by a local potter family from Nowpora..who were experts in making local tiles.The post had an emblem which has been engraved and inside this post is an iron post for wiring.In 1996 -97 we replaced the damaged posts with the original design.lt was after a great search we located the old man (Who) had designed the original. He had been engaged by a foreign firm in Canada. However he agreed to help and provided assistance in making the old designed ones and identified the artisans / potter for manufacturing.The damaged ones were replaced by new ones with antique original design.The installation of iron posts is a spending spree and nothing else,” she has written.

The exasperation of Kashmiris has been summed up pithily by Environmentalist Mrd Kundangar: “Sometimes I ask myself who is the custodian of Dal lake? LWADA, Tourisim Deptt;Fisheries Deptt; Revenue Deptt; or the R&B?”

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