Construction of link road not to affect Humayun's tomb: ASI

New Delhi, Feb 8 (UNI) The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discounted media reports that construction of a link road connecting NH 24 with Lodhi Road will affect the structural stability and conservation of the Humayun's tomb and several other important monuments in the area.

The ASI said the proposal of the Delhi Government for construction of the Link Road was examined in detail in three sittings by an Expert Committee.

The alignment of the road was jointly inspected by a team comprising the ASI Director General and officers of th Delhi Administration and it was noted that the proposed alignment would fall at a distance of over 500 metres from the Humayun's Tomb and more than 100 metres from other protected monuments.

The ASI said it examined the project from the point of its likely impact on the historic monuments and was satisfied that construction of the underground road would not violate any of the statutory provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

More importantly, the ASI said the link road would not affect the structural stability or conservation of the monuments under its protection. ''On the other hand, an underground passage would help to reduce the impact of automobile exhaust resulting from heavy vehicular traffic on the Mathura Road and around Subz Burj,'' it said in a statement.

The clearance of the project by the ASI is subject to a number of conditions. For the first time, it has insisted on including in the project provision for rescue archaeology, which is an accepted practice in most developed countries when construction is planned in archaeologically sensitive areas.

The ASI said it had stipulated that the project team for the Link Road would consist of two archaeologists who would salvage any archaeological/heritage relics that may come across during the excavation and ensure their safe retrieval. Provision for expenditure on this count would be made in the cost estimates of the project.

''Conditions have also been imposed on the movement of earth moving equipments, disposal of the excavated earth and the distance which should be maintained from the protected monuments,'' it clarified.

No permission has been accorded to the construction of ventilation shafts/ramps in the protected heritage areas and the Delhi Administration has been advised to consult the Environment and Forests Ministry or other appropriate authority in respect of the trees that are likely to be cut.

''While it has been pointed out that a huge expenditure of Rs 800 crore or so in constructing the Link Road may not be justified and that the road may lead to overloading of suburban traffic in the centre of the town, these issues are beyond the purview of the ASI, whose mandate is to examine the project with reference to its impact on the historic monuments,'' the statement said.

UNI