News Highlights:
- The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has formed a special committee to trace and certify 24 protected monuments that have gone “missing”.
- The decision comes after repeated red flags by a Parliamentary Committee as well as criticism from the Economic Advisory Council.
Key Findings:
- Unidentifiable monument:
- A CAG and Archaeological Survey of India audit revealed that the Barakhamba Cemetery, located right in the centre of the capital city, is an unidentifiable monument.
- Some of the other missing monuments besides the Barakhamba Cemetery include ruins of a temple circle at Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur dating to 1000 AD, two Kos Minars – one at Faridabad’s Mujesar and another at Kurukshetra’s Shahabad, a 12th-century temple at Rajasthan’s Baran and the Inchla Wali Gumti at Mubarakpur Kotla in the capital.
- 92 protected monuments were reported missing in 2013, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s performance audit report. However, 68 monuments have been traced by ASI, and 24 more remain to be.
- Substantive criteria for declaring monuments:
- The Economic Advisory Council, in a report, said there was an urgent need to “rationalise” the list of monuments of national importance.
- It had asked the ASI to evolve substantive criteria and a detailed procedure for declaring monuments to be of national importance.
- The council said that the ASI should periodically review and rationalise the existing list by evolving criteria, taking a leaf out of the operational guidelines for selecting UNESCO world heritage sites.
- ASI committee:
- There are, at present, 3,693 centrally-protected monuments and sites in the country.
- Under The Culture Ministry, a committee would be formed of internal ASI experts, and It would survey the missing 24 monuments and certify them as ‘found’ or ‘not found’.
- In case a monument is ‘not found’, then a process would be initiated to denotify them through the parliamentary procedure.
- The committee would need help locating geographical marks and signs because many dates back to the 1920s and have since vanished.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI):
- About:
- The Archaeological Survey of India, or ASI, is an attached agency of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India.
- It engages in archaeological research and conservation and protection and preservation of ancient monuments and archaeological sites in the country.
- ASI regulates all archaeological activities conducted in the country through the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act), 1958.
- It also regulates the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act 1972.
- It is a statutory body after independence under the AMASR Act 1958.
- The ASI is headed by a Director-General and is headquartered in New Delhi.
- Activities conducted by ASI:
- It conducts archaeological excavations and explorations.
- It maintains, conserves and preserves protected monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
- It engages in the chemical protection of monuments and ancient remains.
- It performs the architectural survey of monuments.
- It conducts epigraphical and numismatic studies.
- It sets up site museums.
- It gives training in archaeology.
- It publishes material in archaeology.
- It also conducts archaeological expeditions outside India.
- It engages in horticultural operations in and around archaeological sites.
- It regulates the AMASR Act and the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act 1972, among others.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: The Hindu