Govt to buy Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar’s houses

District administration finalises valuation of both properties

PESHAWAR:

The provincial government has finally decided to purchase the two houses belonging to renowned Indian film artists, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.

This was decided recently by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government alongside the provincial archaeology department and the Peshawar district administration.

Located in the older, ‘walled’ area of the inner-city areas of Peshawar, the house of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor is located in Dhak-i-Dalgaran. Dilip Kumar nee Yousaf Pathan’s house is located a few blocks over in Khudadad Mohallah of Qissa Khwani.

The house of the former is a mansion spanning six Marlas and three Sarsai (local measuring unit for land and properties) with a covered area estimated to be 5,184 square feet.

Kumar’s house is spread over four marlas, with an estimated 1,077.83 square feet of covered area.

The district administration has determined the market value of the two houses at around Rs15 million and Rs8.05 million respectively.

All told, the government has been told that it will have to pay around Rs24 million for the two properties.

The decision came after the owners started demolishing the two buildings, declared as heritage sites in 2016. It caused uproar across the subcontinent and finally prompted the provincial archaeology department to step in and halt the process.

To offer a permanent solution and preserve these historical buildings, the government considered buying it.

Last week, it formalised the decision and directed district administration to acquire the two properties under the K-P Antiquities Act.

The provincial government is expected to soon release funds for acquiring the two properties from their current owners.

K-P Archeology and Museums Department Director Dr Abdul Samad said that the government had decided to preserve these structures to maintain the historical ties that Peshawar has with the Indian film industry, having contributed some of its biggest stars which ruled the industry for the better part of a century.

He added that once they have acquired the two properties, they plan to restore them to their original state, with ideas on renovating the houses and turning them into museums having already been shared with the provincial government.

The greatest artists of the Indian film industry can trace their roots to Peshawar and to explore that connection, we have decided to preserve it for future generations, the archaeology director said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2020.