Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday stated that the decision to declare Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday as a public holiday was taken to honour his (Maharaja’s) contribution (to J&K) and respect the sentiments of people here.
He was responding to a media query in a brief interaction after inaugurating the free artificial limbs and calipers distribution camp at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-J) to mark the birth centenary celebrations of late Dr Uttam Chand Shastri here.
“To honour the monumental contribution of Maharaja Hari Singh towards J&K and respect the sentiments of the people here, this decision has been taken. I expect that a notification in this connection will be issued in a day or two,” he said.
The LG on Thursday announced the decision to declare Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday as a public holiday following his meeting with a delegation comprising prominent political leaders, members of the Yuva Rajput Sabha, civil society members including the head of J&K Transport Union at the Raj Bhavan.
“The government has decided to declare Maharaja Hari Singhji’s birthday as a public holiday. Maharaja Hari Singh was a great educationist, progressive thinker, social reformer, and a towering man of ideas and ideals. The public holiday will be a fitting tribute to Maharaja Hari Singhji’s rich legacy,” he said.
Before it, on LG’s directions, a four-member committee was constituted by the J&K administration earlier this year to examine the public demand regarding the holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.