Latest news with #NationalMonumentsAuthority
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Telangana HC seeks fresh affidavit from heritage director on construction near Golconda fort
Hyderabad: The high court has directed the director of heritage, Telangana, who also serves as the competent authority under the National Monuments Authority (NMA), to file a fresh affidavit regarding the issuance of permission to a builder for construction on a 14-acre plot in Qila Mohammed Nagar, adjacent to the outer wall of the protected Golconda fort. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice P Sam Koshy issued the direction while hearing an appeal filed by a businessman challenging a March 2025 order passed by a single judge of the high court. The single judge had earlier directed the director of heritage to grant permission to the builder in accordance with the NMA's directives. During the hearing on Wednesday, Chief Justice Singh said: "The competent authority, is it a post office service or do they have some role in implementing the orders? There should be some application of mind." The Chief Justice further remarked that they do not have any issue with authorities implementing the orders, as long as they are in accordance with the law. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The bench observed that the director of heritage had earlier opposed the builder's request in a counter-affidavit filed on June 21, 2021, but failed to file any subsequent updates clarifying whether those objections were addressed or if the builder had complied with necessary conditions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Meanwhile, the counsel for the appellant informed the court that the no-objection certificate granted to the builder by the NMA in April 2019 is currently under challenge in a public interest litigation pending before the high court. Taking note of these submissions and referring to relevant provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, the bench directed the competent authority to submit a clear affidavit confirming whether the builder fulfilled all requisite conditions. The matter has been posted for further hearing in two weeks.
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
India's monuments and heritage need to recognise it's civilisational history
The history of India is not just about slavery. The history of India is about emerging victorious… The mistake of not keeping those events in the mainstream is being rectified now' — Narendra Modi Putting the Maratha Military Landscapes on the UNESCO World Heritage list is a significant step towards recognising Indian monuments of victory and glory and decolonising the heritage space. The momentum must be taken further as this area had been neglected for a long time post-Independence. Monuments are our collective memory etched in stone. After Independence, there was little effort to correct the mindset of teachers and those preparing history books. The colonial mindset continued even in the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites. Teaching took place under the shadow of what PM Modi has called the history of our defeat and the stories of enemies' victories. It is only under the Modi government that the decolonisation drive has begun, giving us new insights into the history that the British and the Left cabal sought to bury. It has highlighted the stories of King Suheldev, Rani Durgavati and Lachit Barphukan. The founder-king of Delhi, Maharaja Anangpal Tomar, was long ignored — now, Anang Tal, which was a neglected sewer reservoir, has been designated a Monument of National Importance. Excavations at Rakhigarhi have restarted. The Navy has new insignia inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji. There have also been efforts to delve into the history of tribal communities' wars of independence in the Northeast, specifically the Tai-Khamti War (1839). These are just a few examples of the Modi government's vision of resurrecting India's glorious history and detoxing colonised minds. As chairman of the National Monuments Authority (NMA), I had an opportunity to flag some anomalies and suggest changes in the way we look at preservation. We have created a list of 3,695 Monuments of National Importance that have brought out interesting facets of Indian history. Afzal Khan, the cruel general serving the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, believed a prophecy about his death before his 'meeting' with Shivaji. Some tales suggest that he killed his many wives the night before he departed to encounter his foe. We know Shivaji killed him. But the graves of his wives are now a Monument of National Importance in Bijapur. Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle fought the Mughals and ruled as a Maratha queen for 30 years. But her samadhi is in ruins in Satara. It deserves the honour of being a Monument of National Importance. The great Sikh warrior Baba Baghel Singh conquered Delhi in 1783, made the Mughal emperor pay fines and constructed seven gurdwaras including Sis Ganj Sahib. His 30,000 Sikh soldiers camped near the Red Fort — and so, the camp became known as Tis Hazari. But nowhere, even in the Red Fort Museum, is there any mention of this conquest. The National Monuments Authority was asked to approach the Tis Hazari court to ask if it would like to have the name explained in its precincts. The Marathas conquered Delhi in 1757 under Raghunath Rao and in 1771 under Mahadaji Shinde. They controlled the Red Fort and continued to rule until 1803, when the British overpowered them in the second Anglo-Maratha War. The British took Delhi from the Marathas and not the Mughals. This fact, too, is completely missing from the Red Fort museum. The NMA struggled for two years to have this mentioned on a wall of honour inside the fort without any success. On the Delhi-Meerut highway, there lies a nondescript grave of British soldiers who were killed by local revolutionaries in 1857. This was declared a Monument of National Importance. But the Kali Paltan Augharnath temple, Meerut, a renowned place that housed revolutionaries and Purabia soldiers — a shelter for the marching armies of the freedom struggle — has been refused the honour. There isn't a single Monument of National Importance connected with the Dalit struggle and B R Ambedkar's life. His first primary school in Satara and the Sayaji Baug Vadodara Banyan tree, where he resolved to bring equality for all Indians, now known as Sankalp Bhumi, have yet to be accepted as national monuments. After a detailed site inspection by the NMA, the Governor of Kerala sent a recommendation to declare the birthplace of Adi Shankara, Kalady, a Monument of National Importance. It was not even responded to. Mangarh has been a place of the greatest reverence for PM Modi. He visited the place many times before he became Gujarat CM, and recently, as PM. The NMA visited the site and recommended that it be declared a Monument of National Importance. It was the site of the massacre of more than 1,500 Bhil tribals by the British army in November 1913. We are still waiting for action on the matter. There are more than 100 monuments like Tota-Maina Ki Kabr that have absolutely no history. Nobody knows what they represent and why they have been declared Monuments of National Importance. Similarly, some Monuments of National Importance, like the Mohammad Gauri Ke Senapati Ki Chhatri and Babur Ka Bagicha (where he is said to have stayed for a few hours), defy any logic. Not a single Monument of National Importance from Kashmir, like Martand, Parihaspore or Harwan, was ever recommended to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and none has been given even a security guard. I had recommended a relook at the functioning and mandates of all the agencies working on monuments to unshackle them from the colonial mindset. We need an Archaeological Foundation to preserve civilisational and revolutionary monuments of India. The writer was chairman, National Monuments Authority
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
ASI issues notices to 90-odd illegal structures in Old Goa, 2 other sites
Panaji: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has issued show cause notices to 90-odd parties regarding unauthorised structures within the 100m prohibited zone and the 200m regulated zone at Old Goa's Unesco World Heritage site , and two other protected sites. With a major chunk of the notices being issued relating to illegalities in Old Goa, 35 structures are within the 100m zone, where no new construction can be carried out, as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958. The 57 other notices pertain to illegal structures in the regulated zone of 200m where development or repairs to existing structures is only allowed with permission from the National Monuments Authority (NMA), New Delhi. With the long-awaited issuance of notices to parties, the illegal kiosks, stalls, shops, garages, and other structures which threaten the integrity of the heritage site have come under the scanner of authorities. The illegal structures are located all over Old Goa, but most of them are below the flyover along Old Goa-Panaji highway, opposite the police station, old pillory, and near the Basilica. Despite the world heritage tag, Old Goa has suffered from neglect, and, as heritage lovers allege, haphazard development has affected the heritage ambience around the monuments. In the 16 th century, there were around 100 churches, convents, and other edifices in Old Goa, and it was comparable to European cities. The vast area of the former capital was protected by a 20km outer fortification wall. Heritage lovers have also been demanding a master plan for Old Goa for nearly three decades. However, the local panchayat has largely been dictating the development in the area, activists allege. The notices are being issued under Sections 20(a) and 20(b) of AMASR, 1958, and AMASR (Amendments and Validation) Act, 2010. 'These structures had come up after the AMASR (Amendments and Validation) Act, 2010, came into force. In most cases, shades have been erected without permission from the National Monuments Authority,' ASI sources said. The notices also include parties that have erected unauthorised structures at Safa Masjid and Aguada fort, which are important ASI-protected monuments that are vulnerable to development pressures. 'The parties have resorted to erection of sheds, metal frames, or construction of laterite masonry under the guise of repairs, without permission,' the sources said. The ASI carries out the conservation agenda of monuments and also issues notices in case of illegal constructions in the prohibited and regulated zone, while the state government and district administration have to initiate action to clear the structures.
