Pak approves purchase for converting them into museums

Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial authorities on Tuesday accredited the purchase of the ancestral houses of legendary Indian Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor right here for converting them into museums. Peshawar District Commissioner Capt. (retd.) Khalid Mehmud rejected the objections of the homeowners of each the homes and introduced the award and transferred the possession of each the homes to the Archaeological Department.

“The land (homes of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor) will vest in the name of acquiring Department i.e. Director Archaeology and Museums,” a notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner’s workplace mentioned.

The KP authorities had mounted the worth for purchase of Kapoor”s 6.25-marla and Kumar”s four-marla homes for Rs 1.50 crore and Rs 80 lakh, respectively, with plans to transform them into museums.

Marla, a standard unit of space utilized in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is taken into account equal to 272.25 sq. ft or 25.2929 sq. metres.

While Kapoor Haveli”s proprietor Ali Qadir demanded Rs 20 crore, the proprietor of Kumar”s ancestral home Gul Rehman Mohmand mentioned the federal government ought to purchase it on the market price of Rs 3.50 crore.

The provincial authorities final month handed over Rs 2.30 crore to Peshawar”s Deputy Commissioner for buying the 2 homes positioned within the coronary heart of this metropolis to transform them into museums.

In May, Director Archaeology KPK Abdus Samad had mentioned the federal government would take custody of each the homes shortly and would begin work to revive the constructions in its unique form.

The authorities would protect each the buildings to make the individuals conscious concerning the contribution made by Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor within the movie business, he mentioned.

Raj Kapoor”s ancestral dwelling, often called Kapoor Haveli, is located within the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. It was constructed between 1918 and 1922 by the legendary actor”s grandfather Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor have been born within the constructing. It has been declared nationwide heritage by the provincial authorities.

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar”s over a 100-year-old ancestral home can be positioned in the identical locality.

The home is in shambles and was declared as a nationwide heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif authorities.

The homeowners of the 2 buildings made a number of makes an attempt up to now to demolish them for developing industrial plazas in view of their prime location however all such strikes have been stopped because the archaeology division wished to protect them, conserving in view their historic significance.