Monuments are not the only thing ancient about the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the techniques used by it to protect, maintain and conserve the country's priceless heritage, too, are archaic. And, that is just one of the problems plaguing the organisation. Hamstrung by the lack of funds, staff and expertise, the ASI is attempting to protect the monuments by trial and error. And the casualty, always, is the milestones of history.``There is hardly anyone in the ASI who is trained for conservation. People join the ASI as an engineer or a chemist or an archaeologist with no special training for conservation. An ill-equipped chemist goes on dabbling at the monuments, learning along the way, and probably doing more harm than good in the long run,'' says Rupika Chawla, a painting conservator.``Scientists abroad are constantly working - improving on the techniques, the chemicals and the expertise. The ASI has no clue about the developments taking place in other countries,'' Chawla adds.The ASI, established in 1861, has failed to advance its knowledge or contribute to research in the entire 20th century. It still relies on the knowledge of John Marshall, the man who is considered ``the father of the ASI''.Lacking the requisite knowhow about chemicals, materials and structures, the ASI is known to be working with cement and not with the original material on monuments. Experts cite the example of St Francis Cathedral in Goa, where the ancient paintings on the walls were falling apart. The ASI was called and a frescoe expert came from Aurangabad for a day, and the experts used cement instead of the original lime mortar. The first step toward distortion had been taken. The ASI did the same with Ajanta and Ellora caves. Chawla says that though lime mortar is easily available and not too expensive, it requires a lot of preparation. Working with cement is much faster. The process to make the acidic lime mortar alkaline takes about three months. ``Who in the ASI will take the trouble? They are all in a hurry to destroy our heritage,'' she says.ASI DG Ajay Shankar conceded to a certain amount of lack of commitment and love for the heritage on part of the ASI staff who take their work as any other government job. ``This can explain their using cement instead of the original lime mortar in certain places,'' he said.Lethargy and indifference have resulted in encroachments even in protected monuments. A full-fledged municipal market came up next to the famous Lingaraj Bhubaneshwar temple even as the ASI officials watched. The cement slabs used in the market went into the foundation of the temple. The ASI representative there later told a visiting group of experts that he himself could do little. He had written to the ASI head office but nothing happened. By the time the files moved, it was too late. ``There is no accountability. Nobody is asking questions and there is no punitive action,'' says John Lal, an eminent historian and retired bureaucrat. ``The way things are, I don't think our architectural heritage can be saved.''The ASI does not have adequate staff to take care of the 3,593 monuments, designated as `protected'. B.P. Singh, former culture secretary, said there was only one attendant for two monuments, when ideally there should be two for each monument. He said they were going to undertake large-scale appointments to solve the problem. The ASI has asked for 5,000 more attendants.The ASI's problems do not end with the shortage of staff. There are hardly any experts and specialists on the ASI payroll. The ASI deals with archaeological sites and has only one architect. For instance, it had only one expert in epigraphy (study of old manuscripts) who retired recently.``Ideally there should be an expert in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Persian and Arabic for study of old manuscripts and inscriptions. At present, people working in technical capacity are those who have picked up some knowledge while on the field. Most of them are not trained for the job they are doing,'' admits an ASI official.And the real experts are not willing to join the ASI. The pay-scales of ASI employees are low, and there are no time-bound promotions, as a former DG of the ASI says. ``There is no motivation for people already working with the ASI and there is no attraction for people to join the ASI,'' he says.ASI insiders say that the ministry of human resource development (overseeing the ASI) is only bothered about the 16 monuments earmarked as World Heritage Sites. These include the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Agra Fort, Fatepur Sikri, Khajuraho, Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta caves and the Konark temple.``The other thousands of monuments, even the so-called protected ones, are nowhere on the ministry's agenda. The situation is such that the ASI should be taking over more and more monuments and conserve them,'' says Amita Beg of INTACH.Conservation experts feel that the ASI should take help from independent and trained professionals. ``Professional inputs are required in heritage management rather than century-old colonial approach,'' says Prof. Nalini Thakur of Conservation Society of Delhi and also the head of architectural conservation department in School of Planning and Architecture.At the ASI, officials admit that it is in a bad shape, and the monuments worse. But they are optimistic. ``We will soon have a Central Archaeological Service like the Indian Forest Service and the appointments will be made through the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC). The Pay Commission has already made the recommendation of making it an all-India service,'' said Singh.If the proposal comes through, it is likely to solve many of the problems plaguing the ASI, including low pay scales. ASI DG Shankar said that time had come ``to take the problems by the horns''. He said that acceptance of the problem was the first step towards solving it. ``There were a number of handicaps in the past three to five years. There were a number of vacancies at all levels including the technical staff. We are in the process of filling them now,'' Shankar said.The ASI top brass officers admit that fewer people are joining the specialised Institute of Archaeology. Moreover, it was also difficult to get experts in epigraphy, numismatics and engineering. ``The number of courses are limited and there is nothing taught about monuments in the Civil Engineering courses,'' Shankar admitted. Shankar said that even at the Institute of Archaeology, a number of posts were lying vacant for several years.Then, there is the never-ending problem of funds. Shankar said that though they had been given more funds compared to last year (Rs 15 crore), it was still low. ``But apart from the fund constraints, there had been a lack of consistent direction in the past few years,'' he said. He said the academic activity had suffered and the publication of journals and papers had almost stopped. ``We are trying to revive it. And to have access to latest knowledge and technique, we are building bridges with various universities and institutions, Deccan College, National Remote Sensing Institute in Hyderabad, to help in interpreting satellite imagery to locate sites and the Geological Survey to assist in marine archaeology,'' he said.Shankar said the ASI was also looking into allegations that some ASI officials are involved in smuggling of artifacts, as was reported from some areas in Rajasthan. Efforts were also on to enhance the prescribed punishment for defiling or damaging a historical monument or site. At present, it is a minimal fine of Rs 500, if indicted. ``We are trying to make the punishment more stringent,'' Shankar said. If problems end the way ASI officials hope, India's heritage would be safe in no time. But given the history and attitude of the organisation and its staff, that will be asking for too much.
