Jammu’s Exhibition Ground dying slow death

Subodh Bhasin. Dated: 6/20/2019 10:39:44 AM


Subodh Bhasin
Jammu, June 19
The popular and famous Exhibition Ground (Jammu Haat) right in the heart of city of temples is losing its shine and glory following administration’s apathy.
The indifferent attitude of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that handicrafts and other government offices inside the Exhibition Ground, located in the heart of the city, are in a state of utter neglect.
A visit to the ‘Exhibition Ground’ clearly shows the indifferent approach by the concerned department resulting into shabby and pathetic condition with garbage dumps, non maintenance of infrastructure inside the premises.
At first instance it appears that the complex has not been maintained and cleaned for years’ together, inspite of tall claims by the authorities over ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyan’. The place has virtually become a junkyard due to parking of worn-out vehicles and dumping of scrap material. Besides, wild grass and shrubs, heaps of garbage and dry fountain filled with filth tell the tale of sorry state of affairs of the complex, which was once a major centre of attraction in early 80s.
Even the sanitation is worst and no serious efforts had been made to improve and with a short spell of rain shower the complex turns into water pond.
The complex was once the centre of “hectic activity” of arts, crafts and small-scale industries, but it had not hosted any major event since 2005. Last major trade fair was organised way back in 1988.
Talking to Young Bites correspondent some of the shopkeepers on condition of anonymity said that it seems that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is yet to reach the Exhibition Ground as no serious and sincere effort has been made by successive regimes to bring cleanliness and sanitation to the complex.
The complex is more often used for parking of vehicles and during evening hours youth take it as a safe haven for consuming liquor and drugs.
Sharing his memories Rajeev Sharma, a local resident, said that in the past the complex was famous for various exhibitions for entrepreneurs and artisans to showcase their products besides various other activities like magic shows, circus, joy rides etc were being organized on different intervals but with the passage of time authorities had miserably failed to take measures to improve basic infrastructure to attract traditional artists and those associated with manufacturing industry to showcase their products.

 

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