INTACH flags serious violations in Ekamra Kshetra project

On Saturday, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had written to the Union Culture Ministry seeking urgent intervention in protecting the existing heritage of Ekamra Kshetra.
An eight-member INTACH team visited the site adjacent to the Suka-Sari temple, where the ASI has discovered remains of a temple floor.
An eight-member INTACH team visited the site adjacent to the Suka-Sari temple, where the ASI has discovered remains of a temple floor.

BHUBANESWAR: THE demolitions undertaken around the 12th century Lingaraj temple as a part of the Ekamra Kshetra beautification drive is in clear violation of the existing heritage norms, said members of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on Sunday.

An eight-member INTACH team visited the site adjacent to the Suka-Sari temple, where the ASI has discovered remains of a temple floor and architectural fragments last week after BMC-BDA demolished structures on the two-acre land. 

The team found “glaring” examples of violations pertaining to protection and conservation of monuments in Ekamra Kshetra, which has been declared a heritage zone by the Odisha government. In the last three months, the civic agencies have demolished a number of old monuments including Gopal Tirtha Mutt near the Suka-Sari temple complex and a Sanskrit college near the Sari Deula.

“There have been blatant violations of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act). Not only did they flout the heritage guidelines but also failed to assess what lies beneath the earth”, said Anil Dhir, project coordinator of the INTACH, Odisha. 

He said prior to any construction/demolition at a heritage zone, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey is a must to assess what lies beneath the surface. GPR is a non-intrusive geophysical method to image the sub-surface. However, in case of Ekamra Kshetra neither did the BMC do a GPR survey nor consult heritage experts prior to the demolition that was done using heavy machinery. 

This has led to substantial damage to the existing monuments including Suka Sari temples that are now unstable, alleged Dhir, who led the INTACH team comprising Amiya Bhusan Tripathy, Sanjeev Hota and Debabrata Panigrahy, among others.

INTACH has identified 100 sensitive zones where GPR survey should be undertaken before going ahead with further beautification works in the Ekamra heritage zone. As many as 28 temples are under ASI custody and protected under AMASR Act in the area.   

On Saturday, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had written to the Union Culture Ministry seeking urgent intervention in protecting the existing heritage of Ekamra Kshetra.Sources said the State Government had prepared a committee of heritage experts for the Ekamra Kshetra beautification project but it has not  held a single meeting to this day.

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