New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea which alleged inaction by authorities in preserving ancient monuments in Fatehpur Sikri and sought direction for implementing a plan for integrated development of the heritage city.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and others seeking their replies on the plea which has claimed that authorities have failed to curb illegal construction and encroachment in Fatehpur Sikri.
”Issue notice,” the bench, also comprising Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian, said in its order passed last week.
The plea said there are several monuments in and around Fatehpur Sikri which are protected and maintained by the ASI.
Filed by Fathehpur Sikri resident Amarnath Parashar, the petition said the apex court had earlier passed orders and directed the authorities concerned to take steps towards the preservation of protected monuments and the heritage city.
Alleging non-compliance of the top court directions, the plea claimed, ”After passage of more than 16 years of the orders passed by this court, and due to the lack of co-ordination among the competent agencies of the state neither the monuments nor the heritage city is protected and preserved, nor the illegal construction was stopped, due to which several protected monuments are completely vanished.” The petition, drawn by advocates Uzmi Jameel Husain and Mohd Parvez Dabas, said that since 1994-1995 there is gradual increase in city’s population and alleged that this has resulted in illegal encroachment and unauthorised constructions.
Referring to an earlier order, the plea said the top court had directed the authorities concerned to have a development plan for Fatehpur Sikri after which the ASI had in May 2001 filed a draft proposal to the state government regarding integrated development of the heritage city.
It said the apex court had in May 2005 asked the authorities to implement the development plan.
Alleging non-implementation of the plan, it claimed that despite the undertaking filed before the top court and powers given under the law, the Agra Development Authority has failed to provide basic infrastructure to the habitants of Fatehpur Sikri.
