Times of India: Allahabad: Friday,
May 06, 2016.
The Allahabad
high court on Thursday directed the Central government as well as the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to apprise the court of the action taken
against illegal constructions and encroachments around monuments in Uttar
Pradesh, including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
Hearing a PIL
filed by Manoj Chaudhary of Meerut district, a division bench comprising Chief
Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant Varma granted six weeks' time to ASI
to take appropriate action in all the cases and file an action taken report on
the next date of hearing.
The
petitioner's contention was that in 2010, the Central government framed rules
to regulate raising of constructions near archaeological monuments across the
country. However, as per information collected under the RTI Act, there were
about 1,694 illegal constructions around six archaeological monuments in the
ASI's Agra circle but demolition orders had been passed only against 174
illegal constructions. There were 108 illegal constructions around Taj Mahal
but demolition orders had been passed only against 20 structures. Likewise,
there were 130 illegal constructions around Agra Fort but demolition orders had
been passed only in 20 cases.
Hence, the
PIL sought court intervention in order to save the archeological monuments in
Uttar Pradesh.
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