A PIL can now protect old monuments

Kolkata, Jan 31 (UNI) The West Bengal Heritage Commission has given a food for thought to the people to protect their rich cultural heritage by just filing a Public Interest Litigation.

Inaugurating a journal, 'Aitihya (Heritage), the commission chairman P C Chunder stressed on the need for protecting the old historical and religious monuments and appealed to the people to help the commission in restoration works.

He said the commission, first in the country, was set up in 2001, and had taken initiative to restore the centuries old monuments of all the religions, adding it was not possible for the Archaelogical Survey of India to cover every nook and cranny of the country.

However, he also clarified that the commission could not do any work suo moto and people would have to come and lodge a complaint.

Citing examples of various restoration activities in the city like the Town Hall, Metcalf Hall, he said 52 big and small monuments, all over the state, had been restored so far.

Asked upon the government's rapid industrialisation process in different places, Mr Chunder said, ''We don't want to involve ourselves in politics. We can just advise the people to find out the number of temples and mosques or any other buliding or site of cultural and historical significance and file a PIL. '' Citing the example of the government's withdrawal of the proposal of a monorail over Dalhousie as the area has a number of old buildings, the commission said if people could locate any such significant building in the proposed area for SEZ, the government would be bound to stop the projects there.

UNI