Rajasthan’s state museum project stalls under Bhajan Lal Sharma’s govt

Times News Network

Jaipur: Rajasthan govt’s ambitious state-level museum project, announced by the previous Congress regime, has virtually come to a halt under the present BJP govt led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, with little progress made in the past two-and-a-half years.

The proposed museum, planned inside the historic Old Vidhan Sabha building in Jaipur’s Walled City, was envisioned as a world-class cultural space showcasing Rajasthan’s artistic, archaeological and royal heritage through rare artefacts collected from museums across the state.

Officials associated with the project said nearly 500 ‘masterpieces’ and rare artefacts were procured from 24 museums across Rajasthan in 2023 for the proposed museum.

The collection includes the Barliya village inscription, miniature paintings from Bundi, Hadoti and Kishangarh schools, artefacts linked to the Mewar region and Chauhan dynasty, idols from Kota, Jhalawar and Bharatpur, rare Bikaner paintings, antique fountains measuring nearly 10 feet, royal furniture, lamps and decorative objects from Udaipur.

Officials said the artefacts, estimated to be worth several crores, were selected under the guidance of conservation consultant Shikha Jain. However, many of them are now lying neglected and covered in dust because of delays in execution of the project.

Pankaj Dhirendra, director of the dept of Archaeology and Museums (DAM), could not be contacted for comment.

Officials said structures and facades developed for the museum are also deteriorating due to lack of maintenance, with oxidation, bird droppings and dust damaging several portions of the site.

The total estimated cost of the project was around Rs 93 crore. The previous Congress govt had announced an initial allocation of nearly Rs 50 crore, while substantial expenditure was incurred on transportation and preservation of artefacts, sources said.

A senior DAM official admitted that work on the project remained stalled because of lack of fresh budgetary allocation.

“Unless funds are allocated by the govt, nothing substantial can be done. The artefacts have already been brought and preserved, but the project cannot move ahead without financial clearance,” the official said.

The delay has also raised concern among conservationists and museum experts, who fear prolonged neglect could damage several priceless historical objects collected for the museum.