A Parliamentary committee has taken "serious note" of growing incidents of "demolition of several temples of immense cultural importance by anti-social elements", asking the culture ministry to come up with a foolproof mechanism with the help of the home ministry. In reply, the ministry said that an SOP is being worked out.
The Rajya Sabha’s standing committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture submitted a report on the development and conservation of museums and archaeological sites on Thursday. In its report, the committee headed by BJP MP TG Venkatesh directed the culture ministry to work on a procedure with help from the home ministry.
“The Committee is of the firm view that such incidents should be prevented at any cost and exhorts the Ministry to ensure a foolproof mechanism to arrest such incidents and protect our cherished cultural heritage. The Committee underlines the need for an infallible procedure prescribing close coordination amongst the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Home Affairs and the State Governments,” the report read.
In reply, the culture ministry said that the Archeological Survey of India, which looks at such sites, has a security mechanism in place. “ASI-protected Monuments are generally safe from vandalism due to security apparatus in place. However, to further strengthen this apparatus, a policy and detailed SoPs are being developed,” read the ministry’s reply.
The Committee also pointed at safety and security concerns in the Northeastern states, Chhattisgarh and the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and asked the ministry to work at the prevention of vandalism and encroachment at archaeological sites and monuments, and directed the ministry to ensure strict penal provisions.
The Committee also pulled up the ministry for not having a database of monuments protected by state governments. “The Committee is surprised to note that the Ministry of Culture does not maintain a central database of monuments under the control of State Governments. The Committee wonders how the Ministry can decide upon whether a certain monument/site should be included in the list of Centrally Protected Monuments, if it does not have any information regarding the monuments present in the country,” read the report.
Under the Museum Grant Scheme, the report said, from a total of Rs 72.51 crore between 2015-16 and 2019-20, 48 per cent of the total amount has been allocated to just two states, Nagaland and Andhra Pradesh. “The Committee recommends that the Ministry should take steps to ensure equitable allocation of the financial aid to State Governments under the Museum Grants scheme,” the report read. The Committee asked the culture ministry to encourage all states to submit proposals under this scheme.
The Committee also asked the ministry to ensure wifi connectivity at all of its museums, and equip them with QR codes that lead visitors to the museum’s portal. Currently, Delhi’s National Museum and Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial have the facility in place.
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