As many as 278 centrally-protected monuments and sites across the country are under encroachment with Uttar Pradesh accounting for nearly 100 of such infringements, Lok Sabha was informed today.
The Centre, however, said that a number of steps are being taken to protect such sites. The steps include regular watch and deployment of state police guards and CISF personnel.
"There are instances of encroachment at 278 centrally- protected monuments," Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
Sharma, however, said the total area of the monuments and the areas encroached upon was not available.
Uttar Pradesh topped the list with instances of encroachment at 96 monuments and sites, followed by Karnataka at 57, Maharashtra 30 and Rajasthan 15, he said.
As many as 13 monuments and sites were encroached upon in Gujarat, 12 each in Haryana and Delhi, seven each in Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir, six in Assam, five in Punjab, and four each in Odisha and Bihar, the minister said.
He said that three monuments and sites were encroached upon in Kerala, two each in Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, while one each in Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.
He informed that encroachments in the premises of the protected monuments or area are removed as per the provision of various laws and rules.
"Assistance in containing and removing encroachments is also sought from the respective state government/police force and where there are no fruitful results, actions are initiated against the encroachers by filing cases in the court of law," he said.
Regular watch and ward staff, private security personnel, state police guards and CISF have been provided for the safety and security of selected monuments, he added.
The state governments have also been requested to form state-level committees to co-ordinate in the matter, he added.
As many as 3,686 monuments and sites are centrally- protected under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, according to the government.
