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Tussle for Red Fort ends

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI NOV. 26. The Army has decided to formally hand over the historic Red Fort complex here to the Union Ministry of Culture and Tourism at a ceremonial function on December 22.

The tussle for the Fort has been going on for a while and about one-fourth of the monument was with the Army despite repeated requests by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to hand it over.

The monument will be formally handed over by the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, and a ceremonial plaque would be unveiled recounting `The Indian Army At Red Fort -- 1947-2003.'

Addressing a Press conference here on Tuesday, the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jagmohan, disclosed that an intimation to this effect had been sent by Army Headquarters to his Ministry.

The Ministry for Culture and Tourism has also constituted a high-level advisory-cum-supervisory committee to formulate plans for further action to be taken for maintenance and promotion of the structure.

The committee will be headed by the former Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), B.B. Lal, and include prominent historians, conservationists and architects.

In a letter to the Defence Minister, Mr. Jagmohan thanked him for the handing over of the Fort and said: "But for your decisiveness, clarity of vision and capacity to get things done, we would not have seen this happy day. We would now be taking various measures for full restoration, conservation and environmental upgradation of the entire Red Fort complex and to move UNESCO for its inclusion in the List of World Heritage Sites.''

Meanwhile, a two-day conference of superintending archaeologists from all over India concluded here today.

In the conference, the progress of implementation of various projects taken up across the country was reviewed by Mr. Jagmohan and various other measures were considered to amend different laws including the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, and the Antiquities and the Art Treasures Act, 1972.

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