After Agra’s Taj Mahal, world heritage properties in Fatehpur Sikri have drawn the attention of the Supreme Court, which has come to the rescue of the monuments sitting in shambles despite periodic bouts of release of concerns and funds.
From a new traffic movement plan to the construction of boundary walls around the monuments; from imminent removal of encroachments to the widening of the road; from installation of CCTV cameras to ensuring adequate security; the Supreme Court has issued slew of directions to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Archaeological Survey of India and others to make sure the monuments keep up to their status of being world heritage properties.
Built during the second half of the 16th century by Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughal, constructed on the bank of a large natural lake that has now dried up.
The city wall, in its nine-kilometre run, is pierced by nine gates. Architecturally, Fatehpur Sikri exhibits a fusion of prolific and versatile Indo-Islamic style with showcasing a combination of secular and religious buildings carved of red sand stone. At Fatehpur Sikri stands the Asia’s tallest arched gateway known as Buland Darwaza. However, a PIL in the court highlighted the miserable conditions in which the monuments sat in shambles and abject encroachments, while restricting space and cluttering up, threatened to engulf beauty of the historical buildings. The petition by Waseem Ahmed Saeed pleaded for intervention by the court to ensure conservation, maintenance and refurbishment of the monuments, which had been subjected to apathy by the state administration and the ASI. In its recent order, a bench led by Justice H L Dattu directed the ASI and the UP government to pull up their socks and remove all the encroachments from the vicinity of the monuments, while also clearing the ways to their entry. It ordered for construction of boundary walls around Buland Darwaza and Agra Gate, after shutting all unnecessary entry to the monuments. The entry for the shopkeepers of the Shopping-cum-Interpretation Centre at Fatehpur Sikri would be from an alternate road. The bench further said that no vehicle shall be allowed to be henceforth parked up to Badshahi Darwaza or Buland Darwaza and parking facility should be made available inside the Gulistan Parking Complex. Rejecting an application by a shopkeeper who claimed entry to his house and shop would be affected if a compound wall is erected, the court said that all unauthorised access to the inside of the monuments must also be stopped immediately. The bench asked the UP government to comply with its previous order of acquiring the land required to widen the road leading to Hathi Darwaza from the existing 5.5 meters metalled width to 10.5 meters and for for providing parking space next to the monument.
Indian Express | October 8, 2014
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