The Archaeological Survey of India will ‘delist’ some ‘lost’ monuments. What’s happening, and why?

Subject: History

Section: Art and culture

Context:

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to delist 18 “centrally protected monuments” because it has assessed that they do not have national importance.

More on news:

These 18 monuments are part of an earlier list of monuments that the ASI had said were “untraceable”.
Among the monuments that face delisting now are a medieval highway milestone recorded as Kos Minar No.13 at Mujessar village in Haryana, Barakhamba Cemetery in Delhi, Gunner Burkill’s tomb in Jhansi district, a cemetery at Gaughat in Lucknow, and the Telia Nala Buddhist ruins in Varanasi.
The precise location of these monuments, or their current physical state, is not known.

So what exactly does the “delisting” of monuments mean?

The ASI, which works under the Union Ministry of Culture, is responsible for protecting and maintaining certain specific monuments and archaeological sites that have been declared to be of national importance under the relevant provisions of The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 and The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act).
Delisting of a monument effectively means it will no longer be conserved, protected, and maintained by the ASI.
Under the AMASR Act, any kind of construction-related activity is not allowed around a protected site.
Once the monument is delisted, activities related to construction and urbanization in the area can be carried out in a regular manner.
The list of protected monuments can grow longer or shorter with new listings and delistings.
ASI currently has 3,693 monuments under its purview, which will fall to 3,675 once the current delisting exercise is completed in the next few weeks.
This is the first such large-scale delisting exercise in several decades.

Section 35 of the AMASR Act:

It says that if the Central Government is of opinion that any ancient and historical monument or archaeological site and remains declared to be of national important ,has ceased to be of national importance, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that the ancient and historical monument or archaeological site and remains, as the case may be, has ceased to be of national importance for the purposes of [the AMASR] Act.

And what does it mean when the ASI says a monument is “untraceable”?

The AMASR 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 (“kos minars”) that may be of historical significance.
These sites are scattered across the length and breadth of the country and, over the decades, some, especially the smaller or lesser known ones, have been lost to activities such as urbanization, encroachments, the construction of dams and reservoirs, or sheer neglect, which has resulted in their falling apart.
In some cases, there is no surviving public memory of these monuments, making it difficult to ascertain their physical location.
Under the AMASR Act, the ASI should regularly inspect protected monuments to assess their condition, and to conserve and preserve them.
In cases of encroachment, the ASI can file a police complaint, issue a show-cause notice for the removal of the encroachment, and communicate to the local administration the need for demolition of encroachments.
The ASI, which was founded in 1861 after the need for a permanent body to oversee archaeological excavations and conservation was realized, remained largely dysfunctional in the decades that followed.
The ASI also concentrated more on uncovering new monuments and sites, instead of conserving and protecting existing ones.

How many historical monuments have been lost in this way?

In December 2022, the Ministry of Culture submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, that 50 of India’s 3,693 centrally protected monuments were missing.
Fourteen of these monuments had been lost to rapid urbanization, 12 were submerged by reservoirs/ dams, and the remaining 24 were untraceable.
The Committee was informed that security guards were posted at only 248 of the 3,693 protected monuments.
The Parliamentary panel said it was perturbed to find that the Barakhamba Cemetery in the very heart of Delhi was among the untraceable monuments.

Was 2022 the first time that the disappearance of these monuments was noticed?

In 2013, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India had said that at least 92 centrally protected monuments across the country had gone missing.
The CAG report said that the ASI did not have reliable information on the exact number of monuments under its protection.
It recommended that periodic inspection of each protected monument be carried out by a suitably ranked officer.
The Culture ministry accepted the proposal.
Eleven of these monuments are in Uttar Pradesh, two each in Delhi and Haryana, and others in states like Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

About Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958

The AMASR Act provides for preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
It provides for the regulation of archaeological excavations and for protection of sculptures, carvings and other like objects.
The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the provisions of this act. The Archaeological Survey of India is the custodian of these monuments.
The Act prohibits construction in ‘prohibited areas’, an area of 100 meters around protected monuments.
It does not permit construction in such prohibited areas even if it is for public purposes, except under certain conditions.
The central government can extend the prohibited area beyond 100 meters.
The iconic monuments in India, Taj Mahal, Ajanta Caves, The Great Stupa at Sanchi and the Sun Temple of Konark, among others are designated as “ancient monuments of national importance” and protected under the AMASR Act.
The National Monument Authority will make a recommendation for construction of public works to the central government, only if it is satisfied that there is no reasonable possibility of moving the construction outside the prohibited area.

About Archaeological Survey of India (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 Alexander Cunningham– the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.
Its activities include carrying out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and maintenance of protected monuments etc.