BHUBANESWAR: With a majority of heritage monuments under the state’s care staring at a bleak future because of poor conservation measures, the government has decided to operationalise its directorate of archaeology, which was created back in 2023.
The Culture department has also restructured the archaeological curator cadre. The department has decided to appoint assistant curators and junior assistants for the directorate which will look into maintenance of the monuments under its care.
The state has more than 220 monuments accorded protection under the Odisha Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1956. These monuments are looked after by the archaeology wing.
The state cabinet had in 2023 approved the creation of separate directorates for museums, archaeology and public libraries in the state. The decision was taken as per the recommendations of the first and second heritage cabinet meetings. The cabinet had approved the creation of a new curator, archaeological curator and librarian cadres for the directorates.