To promote Jammu and Kashmir as a heritage destination for tourists, the State government has for the first time after militancy begun, started an exercise to identify new buildings, monuments and sites of archival value to be included in the list of state protected property.

Officials claim that they have been enlisting monuments and buildings which will be declared as state protected property. As of now there were 30 such buildings and sites which have been declared as protected property. There are another 69 centrally protected monuments and sites in the state which are already being preserved by Archaological Survey of India (ASI).

The move is aimed at promoting Jammu and Kashmir as a tourism destination with an emphasis on heritage. Jammu and Kashmir's Director Archives, S K A Qadri said, "the list of state protected property was old and is being updated. We have started the first ever exercise to identify buildings and monuments

which have not made it to the list of protected property. The list is being updated and the exercise has been started even in Ladakh. There are many monastries in Ladakh which can be included in the list of protected properties. Such monastries are museums in itself and the tourists can be roped in to visit these monastries."

Qadri said that the list of new protected momuments will be publicised. "The list will also include religious shrines," he added.

According to officials, once the enlisting of the protected buildings is completed, the government will issue a statutory rules order (SRO) to notify such buildings and monuments as state protected. The notification will come under the Ancient Monuments and Preservation Act, 1928. Any vandalism to property declared as protected will be dealt with strictly and a case will be registered against those who are involved in such activties. Under the act, officials said that the people booked for vandalism can even undergo imprisonment of at least six months.

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