NEW DELHI: To ensure speedy and transparent approval of construction and repair works in the vicinity of the protected historical sites, the National Monument Authority (NMA) has embarked on finalising the Heritage Bye-laws (HBLs) for 141 monuments.
According to officials privy to the matter, the process is expected to be over within the next six months.
The development follows a directive from the culture minister, who asked the authority to prioritise preparation of HBLs for monuments that attract the highest number of applications seeking permission for construction-related applications.
Acting on this instruction, the NMA identified 294 such heritage sites across the country.
“The minister said that given the large number of applications, HBLs for selected sites should be prioritized because their drafting and finalisation is a time consuming task. So, focus is on those monuments, from where we have the highest number of applications. Out of 294 identified monuments, bye laws of 151 are already completed; either already prepared or have been submitted before the Parliament,” said officials.
Most applications are received from states; Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, where rapid urbanisation is taking place. Fewer applications for approvals are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and parts of the northeast.
As mandated by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act 2010, there should be separate bye-laws for all 3,693 heritage sites or monuments under the jurisdiction of ASI to regulate development and construction around protected monuments. And these rules were to be framed by 2012.
However, till January 2020, by-laws only for five monuments or sites were cleared and presented before the Parliament. So far, 124 HBLs covering 178 monuments have been laid before the Parliament.
One of the reasons for the slow pace of preparing HBLs is the absence of site plans; a prerequisite for the drafts. Since the preparation of these plans falls under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the NMA has requested its support.
Officials said that the Director General (D-G) of ASI has assured the NMA that the preparation of pending site plans has been prioritised and is currently in progress.
“We have taken up the matter of site plans with the D-G, ASI. In many circles, the process has been expedited and we are hopeful that for the remaining 143 monuments, we will get the site plans sooner or later. Our target is to finalise the HBLs of all identified buildings within the next 6 months,” officials added.
