Public Buildings Deserve a Second Life
Public Buildings Deserve a Second Life
“Jammu and Kashmir needs a clear policy for the reuse, conservation
and redevelopment of government buildings left vacant after institutional
relocation”
Peerzada Mohsin Shafi
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he construction of a new government building is invariably
presented as a symbol of development. A new hospital promises better
healthcare, a new school offers improved facilities and a modern office is
expected to make administration more efficient. There is certainly no argument
against creating safe and modern public infrastructure. But in the enthusiasm
surrounding new construction, an important question is often overlooked that what
happens to the building the government leaves behind? Across Jammu and Kashmir,
there are instances where institutions have shifted to newer premises while
their old buildings have been left vacant, damaged, underused or allowed to
deteriorate. Some have been declared unsafe, others damaged by fire while
several have remained locked for years without a clear plan for their future.
The issue is not merely about old buildings. It is about managing public
assets, using valuable government land wisely and ensuring that infrastructure
created with public money continues to serve the public.
The concern becomes greater because many such properties occupy
prime locations in towns and cities. A building constructed decades ago on the
edge of a settlement may today stand in the middle of a rapidly expanding urban
area. Land in Srinagar, Jammu, Baramulla, Anantnag and other district
headquarters is increasingly valuable, yet some government properties in these
very locations remain unused after departments move out. As buildings
deteriorate, they become vulnerable to vandalism, trespassing and unauthorised
use. What was once a school, hospital or government office can eventually
become an abandoned structure serving neither the government nor the public. It
is a double loss where public money invested in the structure is wasted while
the valuable land remains underutilised.
The old Government Girls Higher Secondary School building at Ashai
Kocha, Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, became highly dilapidated after the school
shifted to a new building, raising concerns about its safety and future use.
Given its historic character, timely restoration could have enabled its reuse
as a library, cultural centre or community facility. Similarly, the old
Sub-District Hospital at Dooru Shahabad, Anantnag, vacated after services
shifted in 2019, could be repurposed as a diagnostic, rehabilitation or
training centre. The old District Hospital premises in Baramulla and Anantnag
also became underutilised after services moved to new facilities. These are
only a few examples and the list of government buildings lying vacant,
underused or neglected is much longer, reflecting the absence of a clear policy
for their timely reuse or disposal.
The issue becomes more serious in cases where buildings are
declared unsafe and subsequently abandoned, while the valuable land on which
they stand also remains underutilised. Instead of allowing such properties to
deteriorate indefinitely, the government needs a systematic policy for
assessing, restoring, repurposing or, where necessary, replacing them. A timely
decision would not only prevent public assets from becoming liabilities but
also ensure that valuable government land and buildings are put to productive
public use.
There is also a public-safety dimension that deserves attention.
Vacant government buildings with broken doors and windows, poor lighting and no
regular supervision can become vulnerable to trespassing, vandalism and other
forms of misuse. Residents in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir have raised
concerns about abandoned structures being used by anti-social elements. It
would be inaccurate to suggest that every abandoned government building becomes
a centre of criminal or drug-related activity, but the risk cannot be ignored.
In areas where drug abuse is already a serious social concern, isolated and poorly
monitored structures can provide secluded spaces for drug consumption and other
unlawful activities. An occupied and maintained public building is easier for
the community to monitor than a deserted one. The fate of abandoned government
buildings should therefore be viewed not only as a civil works issue but also
as a matter of public safety and urban management.
A practical solution would be to ensure that every government
institution shifting to a new building has a plan for its old premises before
the move takes place. A mandatory old-premises assessment could examine the
structural condition, heritage value, services and possible future uses. Within
a fixed period, the government could decide whether the building should be
conserved, repaired, retrofitted, transferred to another department, adapted
for a new public purpose or demolished. The shifting of an institution should
end its occupation of the old building, not the government's responsibility
towards the property.
International experience shows that an old building does not have
to retain its original function to remain valuable. Adaptive reuse has become
an established approach to historic and public buildings in many parts of the
world. Hong Kong's Central Government Offices complex is one example where
significant historic government buildings were considered for preservation and
adaptive reuse after government functions moved elsewhere. The principle is
simple: when the original function ends, the public life of a building does not
necessarily have to end with it.
Jammu and Kashmir can adopt the same approach according to local
needs. An old hospital could become a specialised health centre, paramedical
training facility or rehabilitation centre. An old school could become a
library, museum, cultural centre or skill-development facility. A government
office could be handed over to another department. A heritage structure could
become an archive, museum or tourism-related public facility. If a building is
genuinely beyond repair, the site should still not remain abandoned. After
proper technical assessment and due legal process, the structure can be removed
and the land brought back into productive public use through a new institution,
community facility, health centre, school, library, parking facility, public
park or another civic amenity.
The larger challenge is to change the way government infrastructure
is viewed. The life of a public building does not begin with its inauguration
and end when another building is constructed. A government asset needs to be
managed throughout its life. Maintenance has to be continuous, structural
assessments timely and decisions on reuse taken before deterioration becomes
irreversible. The cost of ignoring maintenance is ultimately paid through
reconstruction, demolition or the loss of valuable public property.
Jammu and Kashmir has no shortage of public needs. Communities
require healthcare facilities, students need libraries and skill centres,
departments need office accommodation and towns require public spaces. At the
same time, government-owned buildings in many of these very places are lying
vacant or underused. The disconnect is difficult to ignore.
The answer is not to stop building new infrastructure. Jammu and
Kashmir needs modern hospitals, schools and offices. But every new building
should be accompanied by a clear plan for the building it replaces. If the old
structure is safe, it should be reused or transferred. If it has heritage
value, it should be conserved. If it can be repaired, the decision should come
before the cost becomes prohibitive. If it is unsafe beyond repair, it should
be removed through a time-bound process and the land redeveloped for a public
purpose.
The government has an opportunity to turn neglected properties into
useful public assets rather than allowing them to become symbols of
administrative neglect. The old buildings of Jammu and Kashmir represent
decades of public investment and occupy land that belongs to the citizens.
Their deterioration is therefore not merely the loss of ageing structures. It
is the loss of public wealth, public space and in some cases public heritage.
When a government institution moves into a new building, the story
should not end with the old building being locked and forgotten. The government
may have moved on but the public asset remains. The real measure of
infrastructure planning will therefore not only be how many new buildings are
constructed but also how intelligently the buildings left behind are managed,
protected and given a new life.
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