Plan for unprotected monuments on anvil

The Ministry of Culture is formulating the first-ever Centrally-sponsored scheme to bring some level of protection and conservation to unprotected monuments across the country. A modest estimation by the National Mission of Monuments amp; Antiquities suggests that over 33,000 monuments remain unprotected in the country with Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal and Orissa leading the tally. The Central government now hopes to bring these under the ambit of a new scheme.

To be rolled out over the 12th plan period,the scheme will involve state governments and through them individual owners or group/ society owners of unprotected monuments.

The situation today is that unprotected monuments are either on land owned by local municipality or panchayat or at times there are individual owners as well. These owners may not have the money and wherewithal to conserve or maintain these monuments. The scheme will help ensure some flow of funds to them for conservation purposes, said a senior official.

Estimated to cost around Rs 600 crore,the scheme envisages that directions would be given to all owners of unprotected monuments to ensure that these are not damaged or brought down and then means assured to them to enable conservation and maintenance of the structure.