Patiala, February 4
Five days after the fate of the archival record following its transfer to the State Language Department from Rajindra Kothi was highlighted, the Archives Department today launched an operation cover-up by claiming that the record had been shifted with “due care” and that no record had been scattered or had come loose from the bundles.
However, photographs with The Tribune belie the claim. There was no way in which the record which was shifted in bundles could keep together. The cords with which the bundles had been tied earlier had virtually rotted away. Transfer of the bundles and their further handling while being piled up on the floor saw many of the cords giving way resulting in a large number of loose sheets falling out of the bundles.
The Tribune team which visited the Language Department building, when the record was being shifted saw hundreds of loose sheets of archival record on the ground which Archives Department personnel themselves did not know what to do about. The loose sheets were subsequently collected and put together in bundles as there was no way in which they could be put into proper bundles.
Even 20 days after the shifting of the record started, most of the record transferred to the Language Department continued to pile up on the ground as the department could not find any carpenter who could fix the racks on which the record was to be kept. Fixing of the racks was also an ardous process because of the low height of the roof of the hall. Even 20 days after the shifting The Tribune team saw personnel using new cords to tie the bundles before they could be put on the racks.
Meanwhile, the Director, Archives, Mr Vivek Pratap Singh, in a signed statement said there was no reason to worry about the security of the archival record because the department had been effectively doing the job for the past 50 years. He also claimed that the department knew how to maintain the archival record and that due care had been taken while shifting the record to the Language Department.
The Director claimed that at present no record was lying on the ground in the building. He claimed that a photograph published in The Tribune earlier was clicked when racks to store the record had not been fitted and the shifting process was going on.
He said all racks had been fitted and the record had been stored properly. The Director also claimed that the photograph published in The Tribune proved that the record was secure in bundles.
However the Archives Department has apparently not been briefed about the record which fall out of the bundles. The photograph showing bundles piled up on the ground was clicked after the record had been put together and the scattered papers taken care of.
Meanwhile, scholars have pointed out that the brittle state of the archival record, particularly the fact that much of it was termite infested or had been eaten away, does not particularly speak favourably of the manner in which it has been kept for the past 50 years. “If the record had been kept in a scientific manner it would not have been in such a state”, said a few varsity Professors. Other persons have also pointed out that much of the record is not catalogued properly which is otherwise necessary according to the norms.
