JOIN USThe Munda Gumbad, an incomplete structure from the Lodhi era has now at least 50 families residing there. The gumbad has remained unprotected and
neglected for years and as a result has been subjected to vandalism and new sub-urban settlements.
Delhi too was once a village with a number of heritage structures, but today is a concrete jungle, that has to succumb to the demands of development over preservation of heritage sites.
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is often blamed for its incompetence in saving such structures but little does one know that ASI has little involvement in saving heritage. Delhi has a total of over 1,200 such structures which require the stamp of protection, but ASI owns only 173 of these.
Requesting anonymity a senior ASI official told Metrolife, “We have no say in how many sites/monuments we can protect. The land laws are very rigid. Out of these 1,200, there are certain structures which are in the protection of Delhi Development Authority and New Delhi Municipal Council too.”
When asked how a heritage site under supervision of ASI can be lost, the official says, “None of the buildings under ASI are ever lost, can’t say about DDA or NDMC.”
The Ancient Monuments and Heritage Act was introduced in 1958 and amendments were made in 2010, after which, archaeologically relevant sites were divided into categories. Some sites, such as old havelis and houses, remain under private ownership, whereas the rest are divided among the central and state governments.
“Ten monuments out of the 173 are untraceable, but that is because urban development was rampant as well as necessary in the 50s and 60s, just after independence,” the ASI official said.
Krishna Menon from The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) says, “very few buildings have legal protection, as working with the State Government is tough.”
“ASI is a very low-funded organisation of the government, therefore majority of buildings have to remain unprotected,” says Menon. INTACH works as an NGO to preserve archaeological heritage sites and monuments in India.
The ASI official rued the grip the land mafia has across such unprotected places in the city. “Land mafia is very strong in Delhi, and once the land is sold out or a few people start living there, government can do very little in evacuating the place.”
Menon adds, “Human welfare is as important as heritage preservation or in fact more, one has to realise this and find a way in the middle.”
When asked what the relevance of heritage according to Menon is, he said, “What is the relevance of history, What is that relevance of freedom? That is the relevance
of heritage.”
While Delhiites enjoy being flanked by swanky cafes, pubs, malls and curio shops, they fail to realise or appreciate the importance of being part of one of the oldest living cities
in the world.