ASIs Aurangabad circle seeks Maha govts help in carrying out survey of land at monuments
The Aurangabad circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday urged the state government authorities to help it in identifying and demarcating the land owned by it around the monuments.
Once this exercise is carried out, it will help in removal of encroachments in and around the monuments to make these places tourist-friendly, it said. The ASIs Aurangabad circle needs help of the Maharashtra government agencies for carrying out a survey of areas around monuments to identify the land owned by it. We are going to write about it to the state government, Superintendent archeologist (Aurangabad circle) Milan Kumar Chauley said in a press conference here.
There are 75 monuments in 13 districts that fall under the ASIs Aurangabad circle. There are several land-related issues being face, leading to encroachments around the monuments. If a joint land survey is carried out and the ASI-owned land is defined, most of the problems will be resolved, he said. We have a right to issue notices to such encroachers, but we cannot act against them as it is the work of the district administration. Hence, it should come forward for their removal. We have written to the district administration here over the issue a number of times, Chauley added.
Talking about monuments in Aurangabad, he said, We have succeeded in removing encroachment from around 2.5 acres of land surrounding the national heritage monument Bibi-Ka-Maqbara. The remaining encroachments can be removed only after the demarcation of land happens.
He added that there are encroachments on the land in Daulatabad fort periphery, where shopkeepers have encroached.
We also have plans for the land in Ghrishneshwar area of Ellora to remove the shops located close to the temple and shift them somewhere else and make the place tourist-friendly, Chauley said. He also talked about its plan to illuminate Bibi-ka-Maqbara, which will cost Rs five crore.
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