A Conservation Department official wishing not to be quoted said that the department could not be held responsible for the decay of the building as the government has not declared the haveli to be a protected monument. A Supreme Court order says that all more than 100-year-old buildings should be declared protected monuments and conserved.

The building was in good condition two decades ago, say Brigadier Sukhdev Singh (retd) and Mr B.K. Kapoor, senior citizens of the city. They say that it is a pity that the government was not preserving our history by protecting such monuments. If conserved, the haveli can be developed into a tourism interest site.

While the SSP, Mr Harpreet Singh Sidhu, was not available for comments, police sources in the CIA said the haveli was given to the Police Department some time after Independence. The haveli, because of its fort-like structure, is ideal for interrogation of criminals. During terrorism days and even today, the mere mention to a criminal that he would be taken to the serai is enough to elicit information.

The police department has carried out some repairs in the inner portion. Some cops, however, conceded that the fear that the roofs and the walls would crumble suddenly over them is always there.