Chennai: The lawyer representing the owner of Indian film legend Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home in Peshawar has advised the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to not buy the over 100-year-old haveli, as it is in a dilapidated condition and repairing it would be as costly as acquiring it.
Earlier in the month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had approved the release of Rs 80.56 lakh for Kumar’s ancestral home, with the aim to turn it into a museum in honour of the movie star.
Gul Rahman Mohmand, the lawyer of the present building owners, said the haveli is in an extremely dilapidated condition due to years of neglect, comparing the premises to a ‘heap of garbage’.
Mohmand said the reconstruction cost of the building would be double the cost of acquiring it.
If the KPK government is still interested in buying it, then it must do so at the market rate, which is around Rs 35 crore, the advocate said.
Mohmand defended his estimation, saying the haveli is located in an upscale locality, where the property rate is around Rs seven crore per marla.
Marla, a traditional unit of area used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, is considered as equal to 272.25 square feet or 25.2929 square metres.
When contacted, Director Archaeology, Abdus Samad Khan said the provincial government has decided, in principle, to convert the birthplace of Bollywood’s tragedy king into a museum.
The veteran actor’s over 100-year-old ancestral house is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. The house was declared national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government.