Govt to ease rules on construction around protected monuments

03 Apr 2023 CW Team

The government will soon liberalise construction activity near protected monuments throughout the country.

Construction is currently prohibited up to 100 metres from protected monuments, while an area up to 200 metres beyond the prohibited area is regulated under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, which has stringent rules regarding construction-related permits.

Unless specifically approved by the National Monuments Authority, no construction work or related activity is generally permitted in prohibited and regulated areas surrounding all 3,696 protected monuments across the country.

According to a submission made in Parliament by Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, this system is about to change. "The government has decided to examine the legal issues affecting construction-related activities around centrally protected monuments and sites in order to allow for infrastructure (related work) while preserving the country's rich heritage," Reddy said last week in Rajya Sabha.

According to sources, the new AMASR amendment Bill will be introduced during the upcoming Monsoon Session.

According to officials, there is a widespread belief that the Act, in its current form, restricts many areas that could be put to good use, particularly in the case of development and infrastructure work. The amendments are expected to relate to some relaxation in these zones, particularly in the case of smaller monuments such as statues, cemeteries, and cannons, among others, which do not require such a large area around them to be restricted for their protection.

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