CHENNAI: Even as the State department of Archaeology is gearing up for excavation at the promising site Keezhadi in Sivaganga district near Madurai, local landlords appear to be pouring cold water on the expedition plans as they are raising several issues including damage caused to farm land surrounding the historic site.
Amid an outrage against the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for its alleged deliberate delay in digging deep into Keezhadi where brick structures with ring wells were found during earlier expeditions done by it to unearth more robust evidence to prove the existence of a sophisticated urban civilisation in the river basin of Vaigai during the Sangam Period, the State department of Archaeology swung into action and launched excavations. The authorities have already completed the ‘contour survey’ and chose the site for trenching but are awaiting release of funds of `55 lakh, for which the State issued the GO three days ago.
As a team of excavators are getting ready for action at Keezhadi, they encounter trouble from the local landlords who object to using their plots to lay an approach road and complain of visitors damaging farmland, besides polluting the vicinity by throwing plastic wastes and bottles, according to sources.
The officials of the Sivaganga district administration have been engaging the local landlords to thrash out the issues in the last few days. Since the excavation site falls under patta land belonging to private parties, the authorities have to take their consent before launching the expedition.
“Our RDO and tahsildar have been talking to the landlords of Keezhadi over their complaints. We have promised certain measures to protect their farm lands. They raised some other demands and we have assured them of necessary action. Other issues will be settled in a day or two,” G Latha, Sivaganga District Collector, told Express on Tuesday.
Excavations taken up by the ASI at three seasons yielded more than 8,000 artefacts including potsherds with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions but the Central agency peddled slow in the third season last year, attracting criticism from political parties and Tamil organisations. The Union Minister for Culture informed the Rajya Sabha last year that the tests of samples collected from Keezhadi revealed that they were 2,200 years old.
The State archaeology was to begin excavation last month after Pongal but delay in sanctioning funds dragged it. As soon as funds are released and local issues addressed, the expedition will begin, sources said.