ASI protected monument under illegal encroachment: revealed by inspection
8 May, 2013An application was filed with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the status of encroachment in the ASI-protected site ‘Lal Gumbad’ in Delhi.
The reply from the ASI stated that no unauthorised person was residing in the monument. But as the applicant claimed that he and other local residents had witnessed unauthorised occupation of the heritage site, the ASI deputed an official for joint inspection of the monument with the applicant and three other locals. The inspection revealed that the there were unauthorised shanties and jhuggis inside the premises. A toilet and some utensils were also found. However, the encroachers managed to flee from the site even before the arrival of the inspection team.
It is believed that similar other cases are quite common across the capital city and many cases are pending with the courts regarding illegal encroachment of heritage sites.