414 of 3,688 national monuments have encroachments, govt tells RS

The government has informed the Rajya Sabha that 414 out of 3,688 monuments of national importance face encroachment. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said action is taken and the ASI has digitized monument boundaries to protect them.

A total of 3,688 ancient monuments and archaeological sites have been declared as monuments of national importance in the country and 414 of these have reported encroachments, the government told the Rajya Sabha earlier this week.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a written reply that the Government has taken cognisance of these encroachments.

Legal framework and ASI's role

Under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act, 1958), protection of a monument does not mandatorily require acquisition or ownership of the land on which the monument is situated.

The primary objective of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is to carry out conservation and maintenance of protected monuments in accordance with the provisions of the AMASR Act, 1958 and the relevant rules.

Action taken against encroachments

The Minister said that wherever encroachments or unauthorised activities are noticed, appropriate action is taken under the relevant provisions.

To fix the boundary of the monuments, a joint survey is conducted in coordination with the local revenue officials for safeguarding the protected boundaries of monuments and sites.

The ASI has completed the survey, geo-referencing and digitisation of the boundaries of protected monuments and sites, and the same have been uploaded on the Bhuvan Portal, the Minister said. Integration of such data with State land records is undertaken, wherever required, in coordination with the respective State Governments and revenue authorities, he said.

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