Monument conservation project stuck
Shortage of funds has made it difficult to start with the conservation process of 16 unprotected monuments. With no government instated in Delhi currently, officials say clearances for Phase II of the project—conceived by Delhi government’s archaeological department and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach)—could take several months. Meanwhile, there have been new encroachments on the monuments which have pushed up the cost of the project by 10-20%.
The last MOU between Delhi government and Intach, signed for a period of three years, had expired over a year ago and included only 95 of the 250 structures initially identified in 2008. The new agreement is for a period of five years. Officials said that the aim was to conserve 94 monuments, but sources say that it would be very difficult to meet the target as the Phase II is yet to begin. The source further said, “The work order for Phase II is yet to be issued though the survey and documentation work has been completed. Work will begin as soon as funds are released.”
The monuments that had been identified for conservation in Phase II include Baradari at Sadhna Enclave, several tombs in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, a tomb in Katwaria Sarai and Gautam Nagar, and three gateways at Badarpur. It has been months since the list of monuments was sent to the LG’s office for preliminary notification. Speaking on this, the government official said, “After this, the public will be asked if they have any objection to the monuments being declared protected heritage buildings. If objections are received, their authenticity will be verified by the revenue department, and the list will be sent back to the LG’s office for final notification.”
Source: The Times of India
archaeological department, Badarpur, Baradari, conservation, Delhi, Encroachments, Funds, Gautam Nagar, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Intach, Katwaria Sarai, Mehrauli Archaeological Park, MoU, Phase II, Sadhna Enclave, tombs, unprotected monuments
