PRESS RELEASE 03/07/2001
JAISALMER, RAJASTHAN, ON THE ROAD TO SALVATION
Jaisalmer in Jeopardy (JiJ), the British registered charity dedicated to saving the Golden City of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, has just completed its pilot project, the Streetscape Revitalisation
* JiJ's pilot project,
to restore two historic residential streets within the 12th century Jaisalmer
Fort, has been
hailed a success
by Indian authorities and Jaisalmer residents alike. This is a unique achievement
in India, where even world-renowned monuments like the Taj Mahal have been
neglected, and the importance of heritage conservation is only just beginning
to be recognised.
* JiJ was set up
in 1996 by British journalist Sue Carpenter to help save this magnificent
fortress city in Rajasthan from collapse. With no precedent for conservation
work at a domestic level in India, she met
initial opposition
and scepticism. However, JiJ and its Delhi-based partner organisation,
INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), persevered
and the results are outstanding.
* The aim of this
project was to
a) improve the welfare
of residents,
b) return the streets
to their former beauty by removing modern materials and restoring the old
fabric of the streets and, above all,
c) stop the
destruction of the Fort caused by waste water seeping through cracks in
the ancient drains and into the hillside, which has in recent years resulted
in dramatic subsidence and the collapse of some 250 buildings.
* The project included
installation of lavatories and connection to the underground sewerage system
for every household (residents formerly used the open drains or walkway
around the fort); facades were repaired and cleaned; the uneven streets
were dug up and repaved with Jaisalmer stone; the storm drainage flanking
the streets was relined, ugly pipes concealed, sewerage lines upgraded
and the concrete manhole covers
replaced with more
suitable stone - a dramatic improvement in terms of aesthetics, hygiene
and the conservation of the fort.
* Following the success of this pilot project, JiJ has started work on Phase 2 of the Streetscape Project in two more streets in the Fort.
For further information
or to interview Sue Carpenter,
please contact
Veronica Hall,
Jaisalmer in Jeopardy,
Ph: 020 7352 4336
email: jaisalmerinfo@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.jaisalmer-in-jeopardy.org/jeopardy.html
.