New Delhi, Jan 19: The Supreme Court has ruled that no construction activities are to be allowed within 100 metres of protected monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 2010 in the country including national capital's Jantar Mantar area.
 A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly warned if effective steps are not taken to enforce the Act, historical monuments like Jantar Mantar would become "extinct" and "become part of history."
 The apex court passed the judgement while setting aside a Delhi High Court verdict which, even while holding that construction of multi-storyed buildings near the Jantar Mantar area was illegal, directed the Centre to review the provisions of the Act for relaxing the norms to allow construction.
 "Therefore, in the name of development and accommodating the need for multi-storeyed structures, the High Court could not have issued a mandamus to the central government to review/reconsider notification dated 16.6.1992 and that too by ignoring that after independence a large number of protected monuments have been facing the threat of extinction and if effective steps are not taken to check the same, these monuments may become part of history.
 "One of such monument is Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Some of its instruments have become unworkable/non functional," Justice Singhvi writing the judgement said.
 The bench passed the ruling while upholding an appeal filed by the Archaeological Survey of India challenging the unauthorised construction of private apartments in the Jantar Mantar area in contravention of the Act.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
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