The Centre was today directed by the Delhi High Court to respond to a PIL seeking a direction to take steps for digitisation and computerisation of all art objects for their preservation in the National Museum here.
Issuing notices to the Culture Ministry and the Director General of National Museum, a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog sought their responses by November 27 on a PIL filed by an ex-employee of the museum alleging the art objects are preserved in a very shabby manner with no proper system.
Filing the petition through counsel Ravi Prakash Gupta, petitioner R S Atal said "the National Museum is the custodian of Indian antiquities collected for over hundreds of year from different parts of the country. Its protection and preservation is the prime duty of the National Museum and hence their security is very very important in national interest.
"However, these art objects are preserved in a very shabby manner with no proper system of their preservation, because of which many objects have either been replaced, stolen or destroyed", the plea said.
It said an experts'committee, set up in 2005 in pursuance to this high court order, had recommended certain steps, including digitisation of all art objects, but nothing has been done so far to implement the recommendations.
