NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said that no construction activities are to be allowed within 100m of the protected monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 2010 in the country including national capital’s Jantar Mantar area.
A Bench comprising Justice G S Singhvi and Justice A K Ganguly said that if effective steps were not taken to enforce the Act in letter and spirit near the monuments like the Jantar Mantar, they would become “extinct” and “become part of the history”. The apex court passed the judgment on Wednesday while setting aside a Delhi High Court verdict which, even while holding that construction of multi-storeyed buildings near the Jantar Mantar area was legal, directed the Centre to review the provisions of the Act for relaxing the norms to allow construction.
“In the name of development and accommodating the need for multi-storeyed structures, the High Court could not have issued a mandamus to the Central Government to review notification dated June 16, 1992.