Keshab Mahanta Concerned Over Encroachment On Monument Sites

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Several sites known for historical monuments and archaeology in Assam are under encroachment. Moreover, the Archaeological Department of the State government has no authority over the majority of such historical monuments. Besides, the Archaeology department is facing a fund crunch. The present budgetary allocation is only Rs 2.74 crore.

This was revealed in the reply given by the Minister of Archaeology, Keshab Mahanta to a proposal given by AGP legislator Brindaban Goswami seeking the government’s intervention for the preservation of such monuments and archaeology sites in the State and also to ensure that the ‘Heritage City’ project is adopted here too.

Minister Keshab Mahanta informed the House that following a request from the State government to accord the ‘World Heritage Site’ status to the Ahom-era Chariadeo Maidam site in upper Assam, a team of the Central government’s cell looking after such proposals will be visiting the site. The State government has allocated Rs 25 crore for the preservation of this site, Mahanta added.

He also stated that the present government has already notified the Matak and Moran monuments.

Referring to the ‘Momai Kata Gar’ at Jalukbari, the Minister said that though the Archaeological Department had asked the district administration to hand over the site to it, the administration is yet to do so. He also said that despite the Na-Pukhuri site in Sivasagar made encroachment free, a large part of the site is again facing encroachments as there is no boundary fencing.

There are approximately 400 historically significant sites having monuments and archaeology across the State. However, the Archaeology department looks after only 130 of these sites. On the other hand, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Government of India is in charge of the preservation and restoration of another 55 such sites across Assam.

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