|
ASI takes Amritsar Municipal body to court
over
historic Ram Bagh
WSN Network
AMRITSAR: Auctioning a land close to the historic Ram Bagh for a
3,00,000 square feet shopping mall has landed Amritsar Municipal
Corporation in trouble, India's The Times of India newspaper has
reported.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has filed a case against
the developer, MGF, and has made the MC a party. The developer has
not only started construction within 27 metres of Ram Bagh — in
violation of the 1958 Act which states that no construction can take
place within 100 metres of a protected monument — but has also dug
up 45 feet below the ground to make provision for more than one
basement.
The land was auctioned at Rs 78 crore a year back. Sources in ASI
said with both the developer and MC paying no heed to its notices,
ASI has filed a case and the first hearing has been scheduled for
June 8. This is the first time ASI has filed a court case in
Amritsar.
For MC, more than the legal tangle, it is a case of embarrassment.
It's been barely a week since the Centre sanctioned Rs 25 crore to
develop Amritsar as a major tourist destination. And MC's callous
act of auctioning a land that's just a stone's throw from one of the
most prominent landmarks of the city has surely not added any sheen
to the holy city's potential to attract tourists. Worse, the digging
around the site has endangered the protected monument.
Countering allegations regarding MC's insensitivity towards the
city's heritage, assistant commissioner NC Kirpal said, "MC had
auctioned the land only after the state government gave permission.
Now that a case has been filed, we have asked government to
intervene and resolve the issue."
For ASI, this case would add to the legal actions it has been taking
against those who damage precious heritage. "Throughout Punjab and
Haryana, we are currently fighting around 15 cases to safeguard
various heritage sites. The legal route is usually the last resort,
but perhaps the most effective way to salvage historic monuments,"
said VC Sharma, deputy superintending archaeologist, Chandigarh
circle of ASI.
13 June 2007
|
Read Also