Hyderabad: The unbridled construction going on in the prohibited area of the Golconda fort here has at last forced the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to sit up and take notice. In a belated move, the agency has decided to crack the whip against the encroachers. It has dashed off show cause notices to 322 houses which have come up within 100 metres of the fort.

The ASI has taken digital photographs of the encroachments and forwarded the same to the Hyderabad Collector for action. It also plans to proceed against its own staff for laxity in taking action against the encroachers. Construction activity within the outer and inner fort walls is going on for years but the authorities never bothered to take notice. The ASI now wants to acquire the houses in the prohibited area after paying both the land and building cost so as to develop the area. The flow of international tourists to Golconda is expected to increase in the coming years with Hyderabad getting better air connectivity and hence the urgency. The ASI has 106 acres of land in Golconda. It plans to acquire 45 acres and 10 guntas of State government land near the `Attharaseedi area' falling between the outer and inner fort walls. Since there is no clear demarcation, a joint survey by ASI and the Golconda MRO will be taken up to identify the land and also the encroachers, said Jithendra Das, superintending archaeologist, ASI.

Prohibited region

As per the Ancient Monuments Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the area within 100 meters of the monument is prohibited and no construction should come up here. But in Golconda fort there are nearly 3,000 houses in the prohibited region. Construction can take place with permission in the portion, 100 to 200 meters away, which is a regulated area. The MCH is supposed to obtain NOC from ASI before granting building permission, but the civic body never bothers to do this, it is said.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu