Eking out a living

JAMMU: The labour engaged in preservation and conservation of historical Akhnoor fort are all praise for Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for providing the section of marginalized community of the town with regular employment.
Since its takeover in 1962 by ASI from state government and conservation work started in 1980, nearly 30 to 50 labourers hired by the department for the purpose are a satisfied lot as they say that department regularly pays them their labour on the fixed time besides providing them with employment every year.
“The officials execute their ethical duties by even reaching our homes with our money and also help out in the times of emergencies,” said Jagjit Singh, 48, a labourer engaged by the department working on the site for the past 20 years.
He said that every year ASI engages labour numbering from 40 to 50 for the reconstruction work that extends from 3 to six months also.
“I had started here with an employment package of Rs 40 per day in 1993 and today I am getting Rs 200 per day which sufficiently caters to my domestic needs.
Jagjit’s two children study in a government school and he maintains their fee on a regular basis without fail. Parveen Singh37, who had suffered nearly a fatal fall while working in the bastion of the Fort was medically covered by the department until he returned healthily back for work.
“We are very grateful to the authorities here for seeing into our trivial problems and providing us with all help besides paying our labour on a timely basis,” he said.
While the state’s official apathy is quite apparently obstructing the conservation of Akhnoor Fort having been undertaken by ASI, the satisfying redemption is that the labor class engaged in the reconstruction and preservation of the historical monument is enjoying its piece of employment.
And the best part of it is since at other site like Mubarik Mandi in Jammu, ASI had to depend on the assortment of the laborers’ expertise, most of it drawn from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, here at Akhnoor fort, the local people getting regular employment in the home town is most encouraging aspect.
The work on the fort has been going on since 1980 and is likely to cover another forthcoming decade while fulfilling the needs of these marginalized communities of the town.
The reconstruction and conservation work is being undertaken in its old fashioned way as the material used is Choona and Surkhi as is used in actual form in the Fort’s construction.
The fort has high fortification walls with bastions at regular intervals and is crowned with battlements. It is in fact perched upon an ancient site which has been subjected to limited excavation, which, in turn, has yielded a three fold sequence of culture.
Harappan graffiti, early historic pottery and Kushana objects represent three-periods found during excavation. Presently the site of excavation having shifted to nearby Ambaran- a Khushana site, AkhnoorFort has been purely owned by the ASI for its renaissance to pristine glory.

Updated On 6/28/2024 3:52:45 AM