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43 Heritage Bye-laws for over 50 monuments likely to be tabled in Parliament Winter Session

NEW DELHI: Drafts of at least 43 Heritage Bye-laws (HBLs) covering over 50 monuments readied by the National Monument Authority (NMA) are likely to be laid in Parliament during the winter session starting Monday. The documents will subsequently be put in the public domain to seek feedback. So far, 124 HBLs covering about 178 heritage sites have been placed before the both Houses of Parliament. (450) The drafts are approved in Parliament. In this session, we are planning to lay 43 HBLs covering 54 sites. The process, obviously, depends upon the session of Parliament. We have limited days; two days in a week. One day is for Lok Sabha, that is Monday, and Thursday is for Rajya Sabha. So, according to the business of Parliament, it is done, said an official, aware of the matter. The laws are to ensure that new construction and activities around protected sites comply with regulations for heritage conservation. The NMA prepares the draft bye-laws, and once approved by it, they are submitted to Parliament for their final endorsement. The drafts of monuments prepared this year include Triple shrined Temple of Bhavani (Ahmednagar, Maharashtra), Temple of Amriteshwar (Ahmednagar, Maharashtra), Fort and gateway excluding the ancient buildings and tomb of Bismillah Shah Wali (Kadapa District or YSR Kadapa District in Andhra Pradesh), Nahar Jharokha compound, Rupmati Pavilion, Baz Bahadurs Palace, Darya Khans Tomb, and Hathi Mahal (Dhar, Madhya Pradesh), Kailasanatha Swamy temple (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu), Bhimesvara temple (East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh), St Francis Church, Fort Kochi (Ernakulam, Kerala) and Fort including ancient temples (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan). To ensure speedy and transparent approval of construction and repair works in the vicinity of the protected historical sites, the NMA has expedited finalisation of HBLs for 141 monuments. The process is expected to be over within the next six months. Following the directions of the culture ministry to prioritise preparation of HBLs for monuments attracting the highest number of applications seeking permission for construction-related applications, the NMA identified 294 such heritage sites across the country. Out of the 294 identified monuments, bye laws of 151 are already completed, prepared or have been submitted before the Parliament. Most applications are received from Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, where rapid urbanisation is taking place. Fewer applications for approvals are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and parts of the northeast. As mandated by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act 2010, there should be separate bye-laws for all 3,693 heritage sites or monuments under the jurisdiction of ASI to regulate development and construction around protected monuments. These rules were to be framed by 2012. However, till January 2020, by-laws for only five monuments or sites were cleared and presented before the Parliament.