SRINAGAR: LG-led administration in Jammu and Kashmir on August 13, in its official communique referred to ‘Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre’ (SKICC), as ‘Kashmir International Convention Centre’ (KICC), dropping the title ‘Sher’ (lion) attributed to the founder of JK National Conference Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, from the name of the convention centre.
The statement pertaining to the flagging off of the ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Srinagar, had KICC mentioned in it several times, instead of SKICC.
The L-G administration had first indicated the intention to change the name of the convention centre in 2020. However, a formal order in this regard has not been issued so far.
After reading down of Article 370, the UT administration cancelled the public holiday on December 5 commemorating the birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah. Abdullah’s name was also dropped from the State Police awards.
CPI (M) leader M Y Tarigami reacting on same said that removing the title ‘Sher’ from the name of Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) reflects that the government is more serious about obliterating the history of J&K than addressing the pressing issues like unemployment, health care, price rise and other such problems.
In a statement, he said the government is making unceasing attempts to do away with certain aspects of history by rechristening important roads and buildings.
Located on the banks of Dal Lake, the state-managed convention centre has hosted a number of international and national-level conferences. It was built in 1977 by Joseph Stein and was named Sher-i-Kashmir (‘Lion of Kashmir’), the title used for Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
