Lok Sabha Question No. 4582 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-22
Subject: Encroachment of Monuments
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Meenakashi Lekhi, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Raja Amareshwara Naik, Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4582 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2019

## ENCROACHMENT OF MONUMENTS

## 4582. SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR: SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK: DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  number  of  historical  and  protected  monuments/structures  and  sites have been illegally  encroached  upon  by  private  individuals/groups  /NGOs  in  all the States and UTs including Uttar Pradesh and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether this encroachment has been increasing at a rapid rate during the last five years and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the number and the details of encroachments removed, State and UT-wise by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and other civil authorities separately, during the above period; and
- (d) whether  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  keep  the  historical monuments  free  from  encroachments  in  all  the  States  and  UTs  and  if  so,  the details and the outcome thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM

## (PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

- (a) The  details  of  number  of  centrally  protected  monuments  under  encroachments including in Uttar Pradesh are at Annexure-I.
- (b) No, Sir.
- (c) The details are at Annexure-II.
- (d) Pro-active  steps  have  been  taken  by  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  under  the provisions  of  the  Ancient  Monuments  and  Archaeological  Sites  and  Remains  Act, 1958 and Rules, 1959 to keep the historical monuments free from encroachments in all the States and UTs. Superintending Archaeologists are authorised to issue show cause notices under the provisions of the Act followed by a direction to the District Collector/Magistrate by Central Government to remove such encroachment. In order to contain the encroachments and removing them, the Superintending Archaeologist in charge of the Circles have been vested with the powers of Estate Officers to issue eviction  notices/orders  to  the  encroachers  under  Public  Premises  (Eviction  of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.  In addition to the regular watch and ward staff, private security personnel, State police guards and CISF have also been deployed for the safety and security of selected monuments.

With the  great  efforts  encroachment  for  a  few  monuments  have  been  removed  as indicated in Annexure-II.

ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4582 FOR 22.7.2019 NUMBER  OF  CENTRALLY  PROTECTED  MONUMENTS/SITES  (STATE/UT-WISE) WHICH ARE ENCROACHED UPON

| Sl. No.   | Name of State / UT   |   Number of Centrally protected monuments/sites under encroachments |
|-----------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Assam                |                                                                   6 |
| 2.        | Bihar                |                                                                   6 |
| 3.        | Chhattisgarh         |                                                                   7 |
| 4.        | Delhi                |                                                                  11 |
| 5.        | Himachal Pradesh     |                                                                   3 |
| 6.        | Haryana              |                                                                   7 |
| 7.        | Karnataka            |                                                                  48 |
| 8.        | Madhya Pradesh       |                                                                   2 |
| 9.        | Maharashtra          |                                                                  46 |
| 10.       | Odisha               |                                                                   6 |
| 11.       | Punjab               |                                                                   7 |
| 12.       | Tamil Nadu           |                                                                  74 |
| 13.       | Rajasthan            |                                                                  22 |
| 14.       | Uttar Pradesh        |                                                                  75 |
| 15.       | West Bengal          |                                                                   1 |
|           | Total:               |                                                                 321 |

## ANNEXURE-II

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)&(d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4582 FOR 22.7.2019

Details of encroachments partially removed from the centrally protected monuments during the last five years

|   Sl. No. | Name of monument          | Locality         | District          | State         |
|-----------|---------------------------|------------------|-------------------|---------------|
|         1 | Mahadev Temple            | Belpan           | Bilaspur          | Chhattisgarh  |
|         2 | Chaiturgarh Fort          | Lapha            | Korba             | Chhattisgarh  |
|         3 | Danteshwari Devi Temple   | Dantewada        | South Baster      | Chhattisgarh  |
|         4 | Asafi Imambara            | Lucknow          | Lucknow           | Uttar Pradesh |
|         5 | Warren Hasting's House    | Barasat          | North 24 Parganas | West Bengal   |
|         6 | Ther Mound                | Sirsa            | Sirsa             | Haryana       |
|         7 | Mosque of Ali Vardi Khan, | Sarai Ala Vardi, | Gurgaon           | Haryana       |