Centrally protected monuments untraceable

About 35 centrally protected monuments/sites which were supposed to get protection from the Archaeological Survey of India under the provision of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, are untraceable. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni accepted the fact in the Rajya Sabha.

Now the Central Government is going to set-up a statutory Heritage Sites Commission. The Commission would be set-up after the enactment of an appropriate legislation. The commission would advise the government on short and long term policies in respect of heritage conservation, preparing guidelines for conservation and management of heritage sites, suggesting necessary amendments to heritage legislations, commissioning studies and investigations. It would also lead to the identification and categorisation of heritage sites and providing advice to the government on matters pertaining to heritage.