Sehgal arm-twisting ASI

LUCKNOW: Piqued by the Archeological Survey of India''s refusal to allow construction of Parivartan Chowk and installing the statue of Jhalkari Bai at the Sikander Bagh, both illegal, the district magistrate, being ex-officio chairman of the Hussainabad and Allied Trusts, is arm-twisting the ASI to vacate Naubat Khana premises opposite Asafi Imambara.
The state government, during Mayawati''s tenure, had sought the ASI''s permission in 1997 to construct Parivartan Chowk, hardly 50-60 metres away from the Saadat Ali Khan and Murshidzadi tombs, both protected monuments.
Since no construction is allowed within 100 meters of the protected monuments under rule 59 of the Archeological Ancient Monument and Sites Act (amended in 1992), the ASI refused permission.
But since Mayawati was the CM, the ASI objections were ignored and Pariwartan Chowk was made and more work was done at the site during her third stint as CM.
Similarly, a statue of unknown martyr was illegally installed inside Sikander Bagh, another protected monument, in 1972 when Dauji Gupta was the city mayor.
In 1997, it was replaced with the statue of Jhalkari Bai and the same year, when Kalyan Singh was the CM, another statue of Jhalkari Bai was installed at the Sikander Bagh crossing despite strong ASI objections. Now the Uda Devi Trust has written to the ASI to hand over the entire Sikander Bagh to the trust.
Since both the constructions are illegal, there is a strong possibility that authorities could be hauled up for violating the provisions of the ASI Act.
To force the ASI''s local authorities to legalise the Pariwartan Chowk and Sikandar Bagh constructions, the DM has raked up the Naubat Khana issue.
Because of the keen interest of the then chief secretary Yogendra Narain, commissioner AK Misra and Justice SHA Raza, the 70 families residing in Naubat Khana were made to vacate it a few years ago.
The ASI then undertook major repairs in the building and brought it to the position it is now. The ASI also shifted its sites manager office and established an interpretation centre here.
Since the building is the property of the Hussainabad Trust and the DM is its chairman, he wants the ASI to vacate the premises. He has shot off a strongly-worded letter to the ASI recently. The ASI fears that once vacated, the place could be exploited for commercial purposes.
Incidentally, the ASI and DM have more issues to settle. Since the ASI is maintaining and carrying out repair work in all the historical buildings owned by the Hussainabad Trust, it is forcing the trust to enter into an agreement with the ASI as per the provisions of the Act.
According to the agreement, the Hussainabad Trust would have to cough up 40 per cent of its income to the ASI. So far the DM has ignored ASI''s pleas. But the agreement could be enforced, claimed ASI authorities.