Srinagar, Aug. 23 -- The heritage and the historical monuments are not just objects of the past, these are actually the engines of continuity of human civilisation and that is why the developed countries focus on preserving such monuments. In the year 2008 Srinagar and Leh (old) towns were included on the New York-based World Monuments Fund (WMF) watch-list of the 100 most endangered sites across the globe. WMF is the foremost private and non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural sites around the World.

That a foreign organization showed interest in preserving Srinagar's cultural heritage obviously should have come as a clarion call for all the people here that owing to their lack of c...