Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected heritage across the states are likely to witness frenzied conservation efforts after two years as the agency–national watchdog for over 3,600 historical structures including monuments and forts–has kick-started an exercise to put restoration or preservation plans back on track. Several ongoing projects had come to halt and many proposals were put in abeyance because of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in March 2020.
The director-general (D-G) of the Survey V Vidyavathi has been meeting the officials leading conservation projects in Circles (sub-offices in states) to understand issues serving as impediments. Senior officials, privy to the matter, said that Vidyavathi is particularly focusing on unspent funds allocated to various Circles.
“A series of meetings of different departments are taking place to know conservation plans to be taken up in the next financial year. The D-G has already had a meeting with conservation architects (CAs), superintendent archaeologists (SAs) and engineers from all states in Delhi last week. Soon she will meet assistant archaeologists, assistant SAs and others. One of the main issues is the budget given to sub-offices, which is not completely exhausted and hence returned. D-G is of the opinion that once a budget is allocated, it should be effectively used on conservation and the creation of facilities for the visitors. The officials are giving a presentation on what they plan to do in this financial year,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
According to the culture ministry, Rs 406.37 and Rs 435.60 were allocated for the conservation and upkeep of ASI heritage sites located in different states in 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively and the agency managed to nearly exhaust its budget. It spent Rs 405.02 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 435.38 crore in 2019-20. The budget of ASI in 2020-21 and 2021-22 drastically dropped to Rs 260.90 and Rs 270 crore to the Covid pandemic respectively. Expenditure in 2020-21 was Rs 260.83 crore and Rs 251.76 crore in 2021-22.
“Because of the Covid pandemic, projects are pending. This was the concern. The D-G sought to know why conservation was at a standstill. We have told her that due to the pandemic, tendering could not be initiated and moreover, labourers were not available therefore all work at monuments had stopped,” said an official, who attended the meeting with the D-G.
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