250 protected monuments registered as Waqf properties, finds ASI survey

250 protected monuments registered as Waqf properties, finds ASI survey

SUB : HISTORY

Sec : Art and culture

Context:

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has identified in an internal survey that 250 of its protected monuments are currently listed as Waqf properties. The ASI’s official records, titled “Waqf properties in India under unauthorised possession of ASI,” also include several monuments mentioned in the 2006 Sachar Committee report on the socio-economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India.
• Prominent sites in Delhi, such as Jama Masjid at Ferozeshah Kotla, Chhoti Gumti Mukbara in RK Puram, Hauz Khas Masjid, and Idgah, are among the affected properties.
• The ASI is expected to present this information to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. In the forthcoming JPC meeting, the ASI plans to brief members of Parliament on how these overlapping claims complicate the management and conservation of these monuments.
• In a JPC meeting held in September, the ASI reported that approximately 120 of its protected monuments are claimed by different state Waqf boards. During this meeting, the ASI presented the challenges it faces in preserving and conserving these monuments. The opposition INDIA bloc criticized the ASI’s position, arguing that its claims about Muslim bodies asserting ownership of any property were misleading. They also accused the Culture Ministry of spreading misinformation by asserting that Waqf boards have unchecked authority to declare properties as theirs.
• The ASI’s presentation to the JPC included a list of over 50 monuments claimed by Waqf boards, some of which were declared Waqf properties nearly a century after being designated as protected monuments by the ASI. The ASI, established in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham, has a history predating India’s independence. The Waqf Act of 1995 empowers Waqf boards to declare properties as Waqf in the name of charity. However, this authority has led to conflicts with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958, which governs the protection of heritage sites.

Centrally Protected Monuments

• The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) 1958 regulates the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites of national importance.
• The Act protects monuments and sites that are more than 100 years old, including temples, cemeteries, inscriptions, tombs, forts, palaces, step-wells, rock-cut caves, and even objects like cannons and mile pillars that may be of historical significance.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is under the Union Ministry of Culture, functions under this Act.

ASI

• ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.
• It was founded in 1861 by a British Army engineer Alexander Cunnigham who is also known as the ‘Father of Indian Archaeology’.
• It engages in archaeological research and conservation, and protection and preservation of ancient monuments and archaeological sites in the country.
• It is Custodian of all Centrally Protected Monuments in India.
•  It regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the,
  • Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
  • Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.
  • Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) (Amendment) Act, 2010.
• Takes actions against encroachments and issues demolition orders to the Collector requesting for the demolition of the encroachments.