NEW DELHI: The National Monument Authority (NMA) will accept only online applications seeking permission to carry out construction or repair of structures located in regulated or prohibited areas of monuments.
As per the new directives, all such applications must be forwarded to the National Monument Authority (NMA), by the competent authorities with their recommendations, within 15 days of submission. The NMA is expected to make a decision on the application within 30 days.
Exceptions have been made to protect sites, where the colour coded zonal maps (CCZMs) have not been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) yet. The authorities will continue to accept applications for grant of permission for those sites in offline mode.
CCZMs are crucial for defining regulated and prohibited areas around centrally protected monuments and sites, guiding construction and development activities to ensure preservation. As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010; 300 m area around the heritage sites is divided into two sections; prohibited area, which is upto 100m and remaining 200 is regulated area.
“For grant of permission for carrying out construction, re-construction, repair or renovation within the prohibited or regulated areas of Protected Monuments and sites, shall be mandatorily submitted through the NMA online application procession system (NOAPS) portal w.e.f July 1, 2025, to further streamline the processing of applications, in line with the Central Government’s “Ease of Doing Business” initiative,” read an official note.
The new arrangement has come into effect from July 1. The decision for mandatory submission of applications online was taken in a meeting held under the chairmanship of secretary of ministry of culture in May. The decision is in line with the government's broader push for digitisation and improved governance in heritage management.
“On receipt of intimation from the Authority, the Competent Authority shall inform the applicant within one month about the grant or refusal of permission as so recommended by the Authority. The Competent Authorities are also expected to provide necessary support and guidance to applicants to facilitate online submission of applications, wherever required,” also stated the note.
The NMA, which functions under the ministry of culture, was set up for the protection and preservation of monuments and sites. It is mandatory to seek an NOC from the agency to carry out repair, construction or any development work in a 300 metre radius of a protected structure or site under the jurisdiction of the ASI.