Harjap Singh Aujla

KAPURTHALA is a small, at one time a beautiful, town sandwiched between the large cities of Amritsar and Jalandhar. It is not situated on the historic Grand Trunk Road and has not grown in proportion to the growth of its more privileged neighbours. But Kapurthala has the rare distinction of having one of the oldest underground drainage systems and potable water supply systems in Punjab. There was a time when Kapurthala could pride itself with lush green grassy and tree-lined district court-house as well as 24 hour running potable water supply.

Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala had toured Europe extensively and he was under the spell of European lifestyles. He knew that, on account of Kapurthala’s remote geographical location, the potential for the economic growth of this city was limited. In order to generate some economic activity in the local shopping areas, he constructed a magnificent looking court house complex just outside the old Sadar Bazaar of Kapurthala. His main idea was that his subjects coming to Kapurthala for their court work from Oudh Estate (near Lucknow), Phagwara, Sultanpur Lodhi, Dhilwan, Bholath, Begowal, Bhunga and other places will have their breakfasts, lunches and evening teas in the Sadar Bazaar. They will also purchase their daily necessities from the historic Sadar Bazaar. His practical approach had the desired effect and the Sadar Bazaar flourishd all these years.

The heritage Court House Complex at Kapurthala was built with sandpapered and polished bricks some 120 years ago as an amalgam of European, Mughal and Rajput styles of architecture. The façade on all four sides is breathtakingly beautiful. Ever since the abolition of the princely states and the creation of Pepsu and subsequently the merger of Pepsu with Punjab, this courthouse has been home to the offices of the deputy commissioner, the senior superintendent of police and district and sessions judge along with all the magistrates and judges.

During the past fifty years two more bazaars have sprung up around this court-house complex. All these bazaars are doing reasonably good business and the people living in the town are a happy and contented lot. When the people are happy, the forces of destruction and destabilization come from the blue and start creating scare amongst the peacefully living inhabitants. This is exactly what is happening right now. The land sharks and other exploiters (a combination of politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers and property dealers) have joined hands to destroy the economic fabric of this happily living small town. No body in the town wanted a new court-house. But the idea of building a brand new administrative complex came from above. This proposed court complex project will benefit only the local land sharks and the state level other dealers and wheelers. Some of the influential people have their land in close proximity to a site, where the new judicial and administrative project is likely to come up. Some others will sell their properties worth crores in the city and buy village land at much cheaper prices.

Due to its own economic mis-governance, the state government is financially wrecked. In order to generate funds for its day to day functioning, such as paying of salaries to its employees, the Punjab Government is either borrowing money from the open market or is selling its inner city assets. Inner city properties built during the British Raj worth hundreds of crores have been sold in the cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar to bail the government out temporarily. Perhaps the idea behind vacating this complex is to subject it to utter neglect so that it crumbles and then this prime site can be auctioned to fetch a huge sum.

The government is totally unconcerned about the preservation of heritage of the Punjab. It just wants to raise funds for its populous and wasteful expenditures. The government promises to de-congest Kapurthala, by shifting the heritage court house complex outside the city. But it cleverly camouflages its real aim. On paper it has a plan to open a museum in the sprawling Kapurthala District Court-house Complex. On the other hand, the erstwhile ruler of Kapurthala wants to locate the Punjab State Archives in this heritage complex. Both schemes are not practical and are merely an eye wash for the people of this historic town.

Let us face the facts that Kapurthala is not a tourist city. I have seen the visitor-ship of the museums in Patiala and Amritsar. Hardly any one visits the museums in Patiala and compared to the status and profile of Amritsar, the visitor-ship of the museums in that city is very little. My objection is that, if visitor-ship of the museums in Patiala and Amritsar is inadequate, how can the government ensure the visitor-ship of thousands of people to the museum at this remote location? At present thousands of people visit the district court-house everyday at Kapurthala and these people generate a lot of business in the bazaars of this town. A museum or state archives storage are unlikely to attract a significant visitor-ship.

It is an irony that the honourable judges of the high courts can not be approached directly by the common people. The judges of the courts are accessible through the institution of advocates and attorneys. The advocates and attorneys belong to the moneyed class and some of them have strong vested interests. Out of all the government buildings in Punjab, if one building needs to be preserved it is the Kapurthala District Court House. I have seen in America, Russia and Europe that the court-houses are operating continuously from centuries old buildings. These heritage buildings are properly maintained and renovated from time to time. In our own neighbourhod, the High Court of Punjab in Lahore is functioning from a century old heritage building. No one has ever thought of shifting it from there. The Writers Building in Calcutta is a century old building, the Government of West Bengal has never thought of moving its secretariat out of that building.

Where there is a will there is a way. The Sikh community wanted to preserve the centuries old Golden Temple and the hundred year old Khalsa College Amritsar. Both building complexes are in a perfect state of preservation. Likewise the central government has maintained several old buildings in Delhi including the Red Fort. All these buildings have been maintained in excellent condition. To our bad luck, the Government of Punjab does not apply its mind towards the task of historic preservation of our architectural heritage. Soon we will have no heritage.

My humble request to the honourable Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in Chandigarh is that he should take some time out of his hectic schedule to pay a personal visit to the Kapurthala Court House and see if this magnificent court-house deserves abandoning. The Punjab Government has earmarked rupees 29 crores for the construction of a new court-house complex in village Nurpur Dona. The same amount, if spent in this existing complex, can work wonders. The foundations of this complex are built with excessive factor of safety. Its walls are unusually thick, some as thick as three feet. Only the slabs of the upper roofs need to be changed in entirety. This can be achieved in less than rupees five crores. The middle roof needs only selective repairs or replacement. The plaster on the walls can be replaced in entirety within two crores of rupees. We can change the entire flooring with the finest quality Makrana Marble slabs in less than twenty crores of rupees. If historically rehabilitated, this vintage building complex can easily last another one hundred years. The Lahore High Court has been rehabilitated several times even after independence, why should we waste our own heritage building. It is about time for the government and the judiciary to pause and ponder and then save this building complex. Due to Punjab’s callous inaction, the historic Palace of the Nawab of Mamdot (in Ferozepore District) has crumbled. The same is going to be the fate of this heritage building complex too.

As far as the built up area is concerned, the historic residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala is larger than the Punjab Governor’s Residence in Chandigarh. During the time the roof of the deputy commissioner’s office in the historic court-house is replaced, the staff of the deputy commissioner’s office can be shifted to the unused portions of his sprawling official residence. That way the administrative work in the court-house will also not suffer. Some temporary accommodation can be rented during the course of the rehabilitation work. Even in the White House in Washington D.C., when repairs are undertaken, some stand by accommodation is taken on rent elsewhere in the city.

This is the humble request of the hapless people of Kapurthala that their heritage court-house complex deserves appropriate rehabilitation and not change of land use or neglect leading to its eventual demolition.

harjapaujla@gmail.com

BACK