Thirty-five monuments lost in urbanisation

New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) As many as 35 Centrally-protected monuments and sites, including 12 in the national capital, have become untraceable in the wake of unrestrained onslaughts of urbanisation.

The major causes for the disappearance of these monuments are rapid urbanisation, construction of multi-storeyed residential and commercial buildings and implementation of development projects, a Culture Ministry official said.

Delhi tops the list with 12 lost monuments, followed by Uttar Pradesh (8), Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir (3 each), Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat (2 each) and Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka (1 each).

Delhi has lost monuments like the Moti Gate built by Shershah, the Alipur Cemetery, Shamnsi pond, tomb of Capt Mc Barnett and others who fell in an attack on Kishanganj in North Delhi, tomb with three domes near Nizamuddin railway station and Nicholson Statue, its platform and surrounding gardens outside Kashmiri Gate, also in Norh Delhi.

In Jammu and Kashmir, rock carving of Sitala, Narad, Brahma, Radha Krishna and Visveswara and other cave temples, all in Kathura district, have gone into oblivion.

Among the eight monuments lost in Uttar Pradesh are Closed Cemetery in Banda district, Imambara Amin-ud-Daula and three other tombs in Lucknow and cemeteries in Lucknow.

Gujarat has lost Ancient Site at Sejakpur in Surendranagar district and a Historic Site at Vadodara.

A pre-historic site at Kittur in Mysore district in Karnataka, a 12th century temple at Baran in Rajasthan, Mughal Kos Minar at Mejjesar in Haryana, Ruins of Copper Temple in Arunachal Pradesh, an inscription in a fort in Tonk district and a 12th century temple at Baran in Rajasthan have also been lost because of urbanisation.

In order to contain illegal construction, the Centre had issued a notification in 1992, declaring areas up to 100 mt from the limits of monuments of national importance as prohibited areas, where all construction and mining activities are banned.

Another 200 mt beyond this zone have been declared as regulated area where construction and mining activities are allowed only in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

UNI SKS MIR DS1332