The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural heritage (INTACH) has demanded that the Union and State governments protect the rich heritage of Kalaburagi, which was once the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate, by safeguarding monuments and historical evidences both inside and outside the famed Gulbarga Fort.
A delegation of the Gulbarga chapter of INTACH, led by convener Shambhuling S. Wani, met the Municipal Administration Minister Qamarul Islam, who is also the district in-charge Minister, and urged him to evict encroachers and clear all new buildings which have come up inside the fort.
Dr. Wani said that it was unfortunate that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has turned its blind eye to the violations of the acts prohibiting construction of the new building within and outside the fort.
The ASI had also allowed more to encroach the open lands available inside the fort and construct new buildings.
“The fort which could not be breached by the enemies of the Bahmani Sultanate in many a wars could not stop the encroachers,” he said.
So far, only empty promises and assurances have been made to clear the encroachments within the fort and the encroachments were increasing day by day, he added.
Many encroachments have also come outside the outer wall adjacent to the moat and the authorities have turned a blind eye to them.
ASI authorities have also failed to protect the existing monuments inside the fort and allowed the shrubs and the weeds and creepers to damage the walls of many monuments.
Except for the famous Jama Masjid inside the fort, all other monuments were in the state of neglect.
Dr. Wani said that ASI should first establish their office inside the fort and establish a museum and information kiosk inside the fort to guide the visitors to the fort and explain the historical importance of the fort.
All the vegetative growth inside the fort should be cleaned and proper upkeep of all the monuments should be ensued and wherever the restoration work was required it should be taken up immediately.
He also demanded the ASI to take up the excavation of the fort near the Jama Masjid to locate the palace and other monuments of the Bahmani era.
The Gulbarga Fort and other monuments jotting the Kalaburagi city should be converted as a tourist centre attracting the visitors from India and abroad.
