Hyderabad, January 28: In the coming budget session of the Assembly, the state government is planning to introduce a Bill to amend the State Archeology Act, to give more powers to the tourism department, to protect notified monuments and heritage structures. The proposed amendments will sought to prohibit encroachments within 300 m radius of monuments.
It will also make officials liable for negligence of duty. Launching the programme ‘Discover your district Hyderabad and Rangareddy’ at Salar Jung Museum on Thursday, secretary of tourism Jayesh Ranjan said each monument will be monitored and a master plan prepared. The state has about 565 protected monuments. Ranjan also revealed that a comprehensive database of archaeological resources of the state would be made.
As listing of monuments is not exhaustive in the country, the Central government has started a new body- National Authority for Monument and Antiquity, which has asked every state to start documenting buildings, which have potential heritage value.
The responsibility for doing documentation for Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam has been given to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). They will also list monuments in Nizamabad, Adilabad and Kadapa districts, Ranjan said. For this work, it will take the active support of volunteers, mostly college students.
Volunteers would be asked to collect information, take digital photographs or photo prints of heritage monuments, old institutional and private buildings, mosques, temples, churches, gurudwaras, fire temples, dharamsalas, lakes, rocks, gardens, ancient trees and sacred groves. Other constructions like commemorative pillars, ancient objects of domestic and other use would also be documented.
–Agencies