CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 82

SUBRAMANIAN KRISHNAN MANI
includes the remains of an ancient monument, the site of an ancient
monument, 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 the means of access to, and the
convenient inspection of an ancient monument. Section 2 (j) of the
article defines protected monuments as an ancient monument which is
declared to be of national importance by or under this Act 39 .
Based on the above definition, INTACH (The Indian National
Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), a private NGO (non-
governmental organization) based in New Delhi, estimates 70 000 odd
historical monuments across the length and breath of this country 40 .
There are other estimates, which say that there are 100 000 plus
monuments in India. The country’s main heritage conservation body
ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), established in 1861, declares 5
000 odd monuments out of 70 000 as protected monuments. The ASI
is solely responsible for the structural conservation, chemical
preservation, and protection of these monuments. The various state
departments of archeology have identified an equal number of
monuments for protection and preservation. The rest of the
monuments across the country, which amount to more than 50 000
have as yet gone completely unprotected! Even the fate of those that
are overtly protected either by ASI or by the various state
archaeological departments is highly uncertain. The reasons are varied
and complex without any easy answers 41 .
Fate of unprotected monuments
The biggest problem that these monuments face are encroachment,
expanding urban space, climatic changes as well as limited
functioning of the ASI and other authorities. In Delhi itself there