NMA relief for owners of properties located near protected heritage sites 

NEW DELHI: To prevent delay and ‘unwarranted harassment’ of applicants, the National Monuments Authority has issued an advisory for its officials to streamline recommendations for No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the construction or repair of the properties located in the proximity of protected heritage sites.

The Competent Authorities and the officials concerned have been advised to forward applications with the correct name, property ownership document, site plan and site inspection report; the impact of the proposed construction on the preservation, safety, security and accessibility to the monument. The advisory said that the application should clearly mention whether it is a case of fresh construction, re-construction, repair or renovation.

The NMA has released a fresh advisory after it observed that despite the verbal and recorded instructions, multiple applications with inaccurate information or documents were being forwarded. “It is pertinent to mention that a poorly prepared Form-II (site plan, affidavit and other details) lacking inspection report, not only hinders decision making by the Authority but also leads to delay in issuing recommendation of NOG causing delay and unwarranted harassment to the applicants,” the advisory read.

The NMA was set up for the protection and preservation of monuments and sites. It is mandatory to seek a NOC from the agency to carry out the repair, construction or any development work in a 300-metre radius of a protected structure or site under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India.