India News | Decision Taken to Examine Legal Issues Affecting Construction Activities Around Centrally-protected Sites: Govt
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Centre has taken a decision to examine the legal issues affecting construction activities around centrally-protected monuments, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) The Centre has taken a decision to examine the legal issues affecting construction activities around centrally-protected monuments, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy was asked in a written query whether it is a fact that construction activity within 100 metres of ancient monuments is prohibited under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, to which he replied in the affirmative.
He was also asked if "100 metres prohibited area from ancient monuments is calculated from internal walls of protected/ancient monuments/structure for the purpose of construction activity and if so, the complete details thereof".
The minister, in a written response, said, under section 20A of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act, 1958) area extending to a distance of 100 metres in all directions from the protected area and protected monument is prohibited area for any construction.
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Asked if the government has received several petitions to amend the British era laws/regulation and if so, the steps that it is contemplating to remove the 100-metre hurdle for construction of residential houses, Reddy said, "The government has taken a decision to examine the legal issues affecting construction activities around centrally-protected monuments".
There are 3,696 centrally-protected monuments in the country which fall under the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India, including 743 sites in Uttar Pradesh, 506 in Karnataka, and 412 in Tamil Nadu.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)