50 ASI-protected monuments disappear

50 ASI-protected monuments disappear

News: The Ministry of Culture recently told Parliamentary Standing Committee that 50 of India’s 3,693 Centrally Protected Monuments (CPM) were missing.

What are protected monuments?
• A protected monument means an ancient monument which is declared to be of national importance by or under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958. 
• The Act regulates the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites of national importance. It protects monuments and sites that are more than 100 years old, including temples, cemeteries, inscriptions, cannons, etc.
• According to the provisions of the AMASR Act, ASI officials are supposed to regularly inspect the monuments, assess their conditions, issue show cause notices for removal of any encroachment, etc.

When does a Monument go missing?
• Government focus on the social issue rather than heritage - In the decade following the independence, the focus of successive governments was on health, education and infrastructure, rather than protecting heritage. Even within the scope of heritage, the aim was to uncover more monuments and sites, instead of conservation.
• Rapid urbanization - 14 monuments have been lost to rapid urbanization
• Submergence by reservoir/dams - 12 are submerged by reservoirs/dams
• Difficulties in tracing in remote locations - 24 are untraceable

What recommendations were given by PSC?
• ASI had previously admitted that a comprehensive physical survey of all monuments has never been conducted after Independence. 
• Provide budgetary allocation and assess security requirements
• Involving local community including local Panchayats and Police
• ASI currently faces an acute manpower shortage to physically man all the big and small monuments which may fall under a particular region
• Facilitating Geo-Tagging of monuments so that they can be traced. 

Which monuments went missing? 
• Barakhamba Cemetery (Delhi), Guns of Emperor Sher Shah, Tinsukia (Assam) the Ruins of Copper Temple, Paya, Lohit (Arunachal Pradesh) etc.