Govt, authorities appear uninterested in our heritage: HC

The Delhi High Court today said the government and its various authorities appeared to be "not interested in our heritage" as the monuments in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park were either encroached upon or in a dilapidated state.

A bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar directed the authorities, including the Delhi government, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), to ensure the entire park is protected and the area is developed into a heritage site.

The court also questioned DDA as to what action it was taking to protect the park as the land belonged to it.
 

"Someone is nibbling away at your land and you are not concerned? All your properties in Delhi, each one of them, are encroached upon," the court said and added, "DDA is Delhi Destruction Authority, no? Or Daily Destruction Authority?"

In its defence, DDA said it has started building a wall around the park but till a proper demarcation is carried out the work cannot be completed.

The bench, thereafter, directed the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Saket to complete the demarcation within three weeks from today.

"Demarcation of non-built up area be carried out at the first instance. This is to ensure that the land not built upon is frozen," the court said and listed the matter for hearing on March 8.

Meanwhile, SDMC was directed to identify the monuments in the park which were not identified in the list of geo-tagged photographs given by the Waqf Board.

The court was hearing a plea by INTACH seeking protection and preservation of the archaeological park, spread over 100 acres and having about 80 monuments.

In November last year, the high court had given three weeks time as a last opportunity to the authorities to carry out the demarcation exercise.

Today, the bench was informed that the demarcation will take more time as the surveyor wants to carry out the exercise from another reference point.

INTACH has said that the monuments in the park range from grand structures like Quli Khan's tomb, Balban's tomb, Maulana Jamali's mosque and tomb and Rajon ki Baoli, to several minor monuments that "together constitute a huge cultural asset and potential heritage recreation space for the city".