Unnao Gold: Excavation underway at a snail's pace, seer sulks

(UP), Oct 22: While the excavation process is picking up pace, Shobhan Sarkar sulks. Firstly, the Archaeological Survey of India did not pay heed to his warning that the site cannot be dug without the permission of his Guru; secondly, the Indian Army was also not deployed for a speedy process of excavation.

While the ASI is careful not to harm the heritage site unnecessarily, the Guru has left his ashram for another one 100 kilometers from here.

Local workers have been deployed for digging and the process is going on a snail's pace so that precious artefacts (if any) are not destroyed. While ASI needs to dig 15-20 meters deep, it is going at a pace of less than 3 feet in eight hours.

"Workers have been instructed to go slow and remain a bit gentle; they should not generate extra-force when hitting the surface. ASI doesn't want to damage any historic artifact it might hit upon in the process," said ASI authorities.

They further justify the slow pace and the usage of basic instruments, instead of the technologically-driven ones, because of the terrain where dense forest cover is a problem. "Moreover, ASI doesn't want it to be a gold hunt exercise. We are treating the location as a historical site and carrying on with digging in a very calculated manner," said the official.

OneIndia News