IIT Kanpur to help ASI in seismic retrofitting of monuments

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has signed an MoU with the IIT, Kanpur for seismic retrofitting of ancient monuments in the country, and has chosen the Rumi Gate, Lucknow as a pilot project in this regard.

This is among the few projects the ASI has selected for introducing scientific applications in archaeology.

A Culture Ministry official today said the ASI had entered into the MoU with the Civil Engineering Department of the IIT, Kanpur for seismic retrofitting of important monuments.

Another collaborative project relates to ''Terrain Mapping and Archaeo-Scientific Investigations of Ahichchhatra'' in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, in which various scientific applications like GPS, Total Station, GPR and GIS would be put into use.

''The collaboration is aimed at capacity building of ASI officers in various scientific methodologies that can be of use in archaeology and also to have joint projects in various application areas,'' the official said.

Several other areas have also been identified in which ASI would have active collaboration with the IIT, like database management using various applications and custom-made software, laser scanning of ancient structures, antiquity identification system, and analysis of various antiquities using non-destructive methodologies to know about ancient technology.

Under the project, the IIT would also undertake dating of archaeological samples and statistical applications in archaeology.

The official said IIT Kanpur had made a promising step in this regard by setting up a ''National Centre for the Archaeological Sciences and Technology'' in its campus, which would have various components like dating labs, sophisticated equipment to carry out various studies in archaeology and training centres for capacity building of archaeologists.

UNI/SKS BDP KP1856