NEW DELHI: To ensure that a huge private collection of antiquities is available for general public viewing at state-run facilities, a Parliamentary standing committee has recommended changes in the rules allowing the owners of cultural heritage objects to lend or trade the artefact to a museum.
The panel on transport, tourism and culture headed by Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy of YSR Congress in its 348th report tabled in the House on Monday noted that if one intends to sell off an article, the Government should have a preemptive overriding right to buy.
“The Committee recommends two changes in the relevant Acts or Rules. First, is to enable a private antiquity owner to display their antiquity by lending or selling it to a museum, in return for revenue. Secondly, in case a private antiquity owner wants to sell it, the Government of India should have a preemptive overriding right to buy before private persons. The said recommendations will ensure that the Indian heritage gets displayed in museums and the interests of the private owners are also protected,” read the report titled —‘Heritage Theft – The Illegal Trade in Indian Antiquities and the Challenges of Retrieving and Safeguarding Our Tangible Cultural Heritage’.
After the Committee put up the issue of the creation of a policy for borrowing or selling antiquities, the culture ministry informed that the matter had been noted for examination.
Under the Antiquities and Art Treasures (AAT) Act 1972, idols, paintings, and objects older than 100 years in private possession are considered as antiquities and their registration is obligatory.
Till date, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has registered over 3.5 lakh antiquities. Notably, on the basis of registration records, the Government had claimed various antiquities, which were smuggled out of the country.
The list of retrieved articles includes the 10th-century idol of Goddess Durga — Mahishasurmardini brought from Germany in 2015 and the 8th-century Standing Buddha Statue from the United States. They were stolen from Jammu and Kashmir and Bodh Gaya (Bihar).
The Committee further suggested setting up a dedicated ‘cultural heritage squad’ for the recovery of stolen antiquities. The team may have trained personnel as per the requirement of set procedures of retrieval followed by different countries.
It also asked the ministry to further explore the possibility of devising an online portal or application for virtual verification and registration of antiquities on the lines of the Heritage Portal App being developed for reporting thefts.