Boost For Conservation: National Monuments Authority Makes Record Number Of Heritage By-Laws

National Monuments Authority (NMA) has formulated a record 101 heritage by-laws (HBL) during the Covid period (from 2019 onwards), covering a total of 126 centrally protected monuments.

This is in comparison to five HBLs covering 31 centrally protected monuments finalised in the preceding 10 years. This reflects a 20 times increase in the quantum of HBLs over the last two years.

It is also noteworthy that as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains (AMASR) Act and the mandate given to the NMA, the HBLs work was supposed to be finished by 2012, covering the entire gamut of more than 3,600 centrally protected monuments throughout India.

NMA Chairman Tarun Vijay said that under the vision and leadership of the Prime Minister, the task of making HBLs has been speeded up by leaps and bounds and a separate HBL department created with four experts headed by a conservation architect.

The HBL meetings, which are being conducted thrice a week, also sees the participation of the DG Archaeological Survey of India or ASI and various other regional directors and surveyor archaeologists from every part of the country, eventually resulting in a smooth flow of survey maps and draft HBLs from ASI, especially from central, eastern and northern India.

The NMA Chairman said, “the biggest joy and satisfaction was felt in the NMA when we finalised HBLs for the 14th century Bishnu temple in Manipur; Jagannath Temple in Puri; Chausath Yogini, Jabalpur; Jagatgrama Ashwamedha site and Lakha Mandal group of Shiva temples in Uttarakhand.”

The National Monuments Authority, was set up as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains (AMASR) (Amendment Validation) Act 2010, entrusting it with the responsibility to consider granting permissions to applicants for conservation related activities in the centrally prohibited and regulated areas.

The need for the HBLs consequently was induced by the increasing rate of urbanisation, development, mounting population pressure, and concomitantly the aggravating pressure on land around the centrally protected monuments, which often obstructed and came in the way of the monument’s 300-metre peripheral jurisdiction.

This made it imperative, for regulating the property and individual growth around the monuments, along with the need to balance it with the cause of protecting and preserving the monuments itself. Such situations and the requirements of the time instrumentalised in the formation of HBLs by the NMA, which regularly notifies on its website, invited local people’s comments and suggestions with regard to its HBL content.

After receiving people’s comments and suggestions, they are discussed after a period of 30 days and if found useful the HBLs amended, and sent to the Ministry of Culture seeking their affirmation and then getting it ratified by Parliament as the final acceptance.

Vijay also remarked that the capacity of NMA has been expanded considerably as now a total of 42 new top notch heritage bodies have been included in the NMA panel for making HBLs.

“It is a revolutionary step inspired by the vision and mission of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, keeping the agenda of heritage protection as the sine qua non of the NMA”, the Chairman explained.

Under the Narendra Modi government the HBL work and granting NOCs have taken a quantum jump, putting it on the fast track. Under the Modi government, the panel to create HBLs now has 42 heritage bodies up from a mere four earlier.

The achievements of NMA includes bringing down the NOC pendency to a nil, thanks to the online features which expedited the process and also vouched for print transparency keeping in mind the interests of the applicant. This can be gauged from a record 82 per cent approval of 1,118 NOCS out of 1,360.

Currently, draft HBLs waiting for ASI to finalise and send them to Parliament approval include monuments like, Taj Mahal; Qutub Minar; Dwarkadhish Temple Dwarka; Hemis Gompa, Leh and Martand Temple, Kashmir. With active pursuance of these goals, NMA will be able to complete the entire residual work of HBLs within a single year fulfilling the assurance of the ministry to Parliament.