Ghost protocol: Saving missing monuments

NEW DELHI: Delhi has 174 monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). That’s what the official records tell you. However, in reality, 12 on this list are "missing" or are "untraceable. But regulations applicable to heritage-controlled areas around these missing monuments continue to be enforced with proposals for their denotification pending with the culture ministry for over a decade. Any development in the vicinity of notified monuments, under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, is subjected to stiff restrictions. No construction – except essential repairs and renovation – is allowed in a 100-m prohibited zone while in another 101-300metre regulated zone, construction and reconstruction are allowed only under prescribed norms. The Act also provides for extending both prohibited and regulated zones.The last time a centrally-protected monument in Delhi was denotified was in the pre-Independence days. Experts say it is important to update the list and remove the missing monuments. "The list of protected monuments for Delhi has not been updated for several years. There is no point in listing a monument which is confirmed missing. ASI should remove the missing monuments from their list and make efforts to bring other monuments under central protection instead," said an expert who didn’t wish to be identified. Untraceable monuments in the capital include Moti Gate, Phool Chadar, Barakhamba Cemetery, Alipur Cemetery, Joga Bai Mound, Shamsi Tallab in Mehrauli (near Qutub Minar), Nicholson’s statue, two sites of siege battery with inscriptions, Inchla Wali Gumti in Kotla Mubarakpur and a tomb with three domes in Nizamuddin. Sources hinted that two more structures might join the ‘missing’ list soon due to rapid urbanization though they are yet to be publicly identified.The issue has often cropped up in Parliament with culture ministry officials admitting that Delhi tops the list of missing protected monuments due to growing urbanization. A senior INTACH official said that any denotification would put ASI and its functioning under a lot of scrutiny. "Once you denotify a monument, ASI will have to answer a lot of questions. Where are the original notification drawings? Why has the monument gone missing? What steps did ASI take to protect them? Since the repercussions could be huge, why not just stall the denotification process," he said.ASI director-general Praveen Srivastava, however, has a different explanation. "We have to make a final attempt to be sure the monuments are actually missing. Sometimes the location is not properly mentioned or the surveyor is unable to trace the structure in question. A final audit of all the protected monuments in the city has to be carried out." Another top ASI official said the Act mentioned both structures and remains. "Not all the monuments on the list are necessarily missing. Verification is still being done. The missing monuments are in categories. There are some that have got submerged in water. In some cases, there is still some evidence of the building and hence the site in question will remain on the protected list," said ASI additional director-general Dr B R Mani. Senior officials admitted though that there was no time-frame for verifying a ‘missing’ monument. "There are around 35 monuments in the country that are being considered for central protection and the process is on," added Srivastava.Experts and residents, however, feel the need is urgent. Already, large parts of south and central Delhi are a part of the controlled areas that have hampered the lives of thousands of citizens. "One should drop the missing monuments from the list and make efforts to include existing important structures instead. There are a number of monuments of national importance, like Turkman Gate, that are not ASI-protected," said a conservationist.It was in 1930s that last time a monument was denotified in Delhi – Quli Khan tomb in Mehrauli. Also, last time monuments were added to ASI’s protected list was way back in the 1980s following a court order – it was Mirza Ghalib’s tomb and Zauq’s tomb in Paharganj.