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Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Encroached, altered, forgotten: 14th-century Delhi's Gumti tomb set to reclaim its legacy
The Delhi government has commenced conservation of the Lodi-era Gumti tomb of Shaikh Ali, previously occupied by the Defence Colony Welfare Association. NEW DELHI: Delhi govt's archaeology department has initiated conservation work on the historic Gumti tomb of Shaikh Ali, located at the Defence Colony market roundabout. The tomb, constructed during the Lodi period in the late 14th or early 15th century, underwent inappropriate modifications in the 1990s when it was transformed into the office of the Defence Colony Welfare Association (DCWA). Following years of unauthorised occupation, the Supreme Court instructed the Defence Colony Residents' Welfare Association (DCRWA) on Jan 21 to vacate the premises and restore the site. On April 17, the archaeology department wrote to the executive engineer of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd to take up the conservation and restoration work of the monument immediately and submit the status report before the next court hearing on May 14. DCRWA was ordered to pay Rs 40 lakh as compensation, which was submitted to the archaeology department on May 7. On May 13, the department also submitted a detailed restoration plan to the court, with the time for completion of the project estimated at six months. The restoration began this month. It involves the removal of modern additions like brick walls, plaster, wooden elements, windows, doors, false ceilings, tiles, toilet facilities, parking shed and pavements to uncover and preserve the tomb's original structure. The project encompasses conservation of the external dome, replacement of damaged lime plaster, restoration of stone brackets, archaeological excavation, plinth protection, chemical preservation, and finally, illumination of the monument and installation of CCTV cameras. Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari was happy. "This landmark judgment sets a powerful precedent; public spaces and heritage sites cannot be held hostage by encroachers," she said. "Protecting a 700-year-old monument also means the restoration of open spaces taken over by parking mafias and neglected, but now returned rightfully to the citizens." A technical expert committee with historian Dr Swapna Liddle in it, formed on March 10, conducted a site inspection on April 24 and provided comprehensive recommendations for the restoration work to prevent it from decay and maintain its originality and presentation. Archaeology department officials reported that on May 12, scaffolding with protective netting was installed, and modern additions concealing the original octagonal structure were carefully removed. Officials noted that after removing the false ceiling, they discovered embedded metal structures previously used for fixtures. Following technical committee guidance, these were carefully removed to preserve the original structure. The exposed internal dome reveals 16 decorated niches with multiple paint layers. Chemical treatment is going on to remove the paint layers and uncover the original colour. Trial excavations have revealed evidence of the existence of the original flooring. Modern additions like DCWA entrance features like signage with sunshade, marble stairs and pathways have been removed. Vegetation removal, chemical treatment of roots and structural strengthening are also being undertaken. The external dome's restoration, including repair of the lotus cresting and plaster work, is under way too. Stone plinth protection will follow the removal of the scaffolding. Delhi govt has proposed declaring the Gumti of Shaikh Ali a protected monument under the Delhi Ancient and Historical Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 2004, which establishes prohibited and regulated spaces in the city.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC slams MCD over office near 700-yr-old structure, orders to vacate in 48 hours
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for continuing to operate an office near a 700-year-old Lodhi-era monument in Defence Colony, despite earlier directions to vacate the area. The court granted the civic body 48 hours to clear the site 'lock, stock, and barrel'. The monument in question—Gumti of Shaikh Ali—sits at the centre of a roundabout near the Defence Colony market. Earlier this year, the apex court had come down heavily on the Defence Colony Resident Welfare Association (RWA), ordering it to vacate the structure after decades of illegal occupation, and directed its restoration. On Wednesday, the bench led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed strong disapproval of MCD's claim that its office, located 'adjacent' to the monument, was 'strategically situated' to carry out emergency operations in South Delhi. 'What kind of MCD are you?' the bench asked. 'Do you not know that no construction is allowed within 200 metres of a heritage monument? If you continue in this place, we will haul your commissioner for contempt.' Senior advocate Garima Parshad, representing MCD, argued that the restriction only applied to new constructions and not existing ones. Her argument was backed by the Delhi government's Land and Development Office (L&DO), which maintained the structure was 'safe' after the RWA's removal. The court, however, was unconvinced and ordered MCD to vacate the area entirely and hand over any keys to L&DO. The matter will be heard again on Friday to ensure compliance. The dispute over the monument began in January when the court directed the Defence Colony RWA to vacate the structure and pay ₹40 lakh to the Delhi government's archaeology department as compensation for occupying it since the 1960s. The department was tasked with restoring the structure. On Wednesday, the RWA informed the court that the compensation amount had been deposited. The archaeology department confirmed the same and told the court that the process to declare the monument as a protected site was underway. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appointed by the court to oversee compliance, informed the bench that MCD was not only operating an office near the monument but also using the surrounding area to dump construction debris. Trucks operated by the civic agency frequently used the space, he said. He also noted that a well-maintained park nearby remained locked and inaccessible to residents. Refuting MCD's justification that it needed the space for emergency services, Sankaranarayanan said the civic body had other offices in close proximity. 'Can this building function as an office? Can you not identify any other place?' the court asked after examining photographs of the site. The proceedings originated from a petition filed by Defence Colony resident Rajeev Suri, who sought to have the Gumti declared a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act). Suri approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea in February 2019. The court had earlier involved the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into how the RWA came to occupy the structure in the 1960s. The CBI found no legal basis for the occupation. According to its report, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had issued a notification in 2004 to declare the structure protected, but dropped the plan after objections from the RWA. CBI cited ASI records in which a superintending archaeologist had written to the director general, noting that the monument had undergone several alterations under the RWA's occupation, making it difficult to restore. In 2008, the central government officially abandoned the proposal to protect the structure. Historical records back the monument's significance. The Gumti is mentioned in the Survey of Monuments of Delhi, conducted in the 1920s by Maulvi Zafar Hasan and published by ASI in 1926. It also features in a 1999 publication by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which describes it as an octagonal tomb with pointed arches, a domed superstructure, and an inverted lotus atop the dome. Only one of the arches remains open, while the rest have been bricked up.
