Legit tag: Long wait for areas near protected buildings

For about 45-odd colonies in queue for regularisation and awaiting NOC from heritage authorities, the wait could get a little longer as it would involve a long-drawn process and ultimate clearance by the National Monument Authority, Nivedita Khandekar reports.

For about 45-odd colonies in queue for regularisation and awaiting NOC from heritage authorities, the wait could get a little longer as it would involve a long-drawn process and ultimate clearance by the National Monument Authority (NMA).

HT Image

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had cleared the first lot of colonies before March 2010, after which, thanks to an amendment in the archaeological act, the ASI can no longer give NOCs.

The NMA has to take the ultimate call now.

The Centre and Delhi government recently gave go-ahead to regularisation of more than 900 unauthorised colonies in the city.

But large portions of these colonies have come up within the regulated area (101-300 metres) of ASI-protected monuments.

As per the archaeological act, no construction can be done within the prohibited area (0-100 metres) of a protected monument. '

For construction in the regulated area, a number of rules are applicable.

Tughlaqabad, Khirkee Extension, Panchsheel Vihar, Begumpur post office (Malviya Nagar), Lado Sarai apart from few colonies in Mehrauli area are few of the examples wherein colonies came up years ago but have been awaiting an NOC.

Sandeep Sainee, president of the Jan Kalyan Morcha from Khirkee Extension, said, “We have written to every authority in the city and also to the prime minister. Elected representatives can’t spend funds on amenities here and we are forced to live in poor conditions.”

Pravin Shrivastava, member secretary, NMA, said, “The clearance would be decided on a case-to-case basis. All formalities need to be ensured from the civic agencies.”

Another hindrance is the absence of monument-specific heritage bye-laws as mandated by the 2010 amendment in the archaeological act.

“The heritage bye-laws are in the making for quite some time. However, nobody knows for sure when the process would be complete for all the 174 ASI-protected monuments in Delhi,” said a senior official.