ACTS
AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING PRESERVATION OF MONUMENTS & SITES
•1904
– 1947: A majority of monuments and sites declared protected.
Legislation:
Continuation of monument-centric colonial legacy, rather than sustainable urban
development.
AMASRA 2010: shift from focus on monument to built
surroundings.
Participatory Spatial
Planning
•“Immovable
heritage (natural and manmade) is in continuous danger of being dented and even
being obliterated. It therefore needs to be incorporated for conservation
through legalized mapping that is transparent so that planned programmed
development through conservation strategies, techniques and tools can take
place within and around the legally identified heritage structure, plot,
precinct or site. Transparency typically helps in garnering people’s
participatory support”.
19th century ‘discovery’ of ‘monuments’ and beginnings of
legislation.
Edgar F. Ribeiro, Legalized Mapping of Heritage of
India: Can it be applied to Goa? Indian World Heritage Sites in Context, NMA,
2014
Sarnath and the Archaeology of Buddhism in
India
1835-6: Alexander Cunningham identified Sarnath 13 kilometres
north-east of Varanasi based on accounts of Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang who visited India in
7th century AD.
•In 1856, the Government acquired the site at Sarnath from an indigo
planter by the name of Fergusson.
•1900 that a guard was appointed to take charge of the
museum and the monastic complex.
Sarnath excavation
•1905: Ashokan Pillar and lion capital unearthed during excavations.
Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904
•(1)
“ancient monument” means any structure, erection or monument, which is of
historical, archaeological or artistic interest, or any
•remains thereof, and includes—
•(a) the site of an ancient monument;
•(b) such portion of land adjoining the site of an
ancient monument as may be required for fencing or covering in or otherwise
preserving such monument; and
•(c) the means of access to and convenient inspection of
an ancient site.
Provisions of
the Act
Land may be acquired for protection of monuments under Land
Acquisition Act 1894.
•Declaration of protected status of monuments through
notification.
•Fixing of boundaries of the area.
•Restriction of mining, quarrying, blasting etc.
• Restriction on movement of antiquities.
(http://asi.nic.in/asi_monuments.asp).
Nationally Protected
Monuments
•1947:
2826 protected monuments.
•Protection of Sculptures, Carvings, Images,
Bas-reliefs, Inscriptions or like objects, which are not to be moved from their
present location.
•Declare areas with archaeological remains as protected
areas.
•2014: more than 3650 ancient monuments and
archaeological sites and remains of national importance
(http://asi.nic.in/asi_monuments.asp).
The Constitution of India
•1.
Entry 67 of the Union List - monuments declared by or under law made by
Parliament to be of national importance.
•2. Entry 12 of the State List - monuments other than
those declared to be of national importance.
•3. Entry 40 of the Concurrent List -
monuments other than those declared by or under law made by Parliament to be of
national importance.
•16. By incorporating Article 49 in the Directive
Principles of State Policy, the framers of the Constitution made it obligatory
for the State to protect every monument of national importance.
49:
It shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or
object of artistic or historical interest, declared by or under law made by
Parliament to be of national importance, from spoliation, disfigurement,
destruction, removal, disposal or export, as the case may be.
History of the Acts & Legislation
1951: The Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological
Sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) Act, 1951 (No LXXI of
1951) was enacted.
•All the ancient and historical monuments and
archaeological sites and remains protected earlier under ‘The Ancient Monuments
Preservation Act, 1904' (Act No. VII of 1904) were re-declared as monuments and
archaeological sites of national importance under this Act.
•Four hundred and fifty monuments and sites of Part ‘B'
States were also added. Some more monuments and archaeological sites were also
declared as of national importance under Section 126 of the States
Reorganization Act, 1956.
ASI Notification 1992
•Controlled development within the regulated area of the
monument, which was fixed at 200m.
•Reconstruction allowed in prohibited area.
AMASR Act 2010
•November
2011: Establishment of National Monuments Authority.
•Redefinition of 100 metres as prohibited and 100 to 300 metres as regulated area
around the monument.
•Categorization of monuments into 8
categories.
•Framing of heritage bye laws for each
of the centrally protected monuments.
ØCategorization of monuments.
ØMapping
&
detailed site plans.
ØNo construction in
prohibited area.
ØØConstruction
in regulated area in
accordance with heritage bye laws/ Development Control Regulations.
ØArchaeological assessment for large
projects essential.
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