The Hindu : National : 'ASI needs a professional as its head'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

National

National

'ASI needs a professional as its head'

By Anita Joshua

BAREILLY (U.P.), DEC. 30. The 65th session of the Indian History Congress (IHC) concluded here today with historians demanding that an archaeologist of ``high repute'' be appointed Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It suggested that the Government bring in legislation to this effect if there were legal or technical barriers in appointing an archaeologist as Director-General.

The bulk of the three-page resolution focussed on the ASI. ``For over a decade, the ASI has not been headed by an archaeologist but has had only temporary civil service officials assigned to it as DGs.

The ASI has, thus, been deprived at the very top of any element of expert supervision, scientific vision or long-term planning, all of which are necessary if the ASI has to come out of its current stupor,'' it said.

Besides, the IHC advocated the need to strengthen the ``scientific rigour and accountability'' in excavation and preservation, and demanded greater transparency.

Drawing on the work reports of the recent excavation around the Babri Masjid site, the historians said: ``All notes, including detailed daily work reports, should be preserved along with photographs and made available to bona fide researchers after the expiry of a certain period.''

The resolution made out a case for creating separate wings for excavation and preservation within the ASI to spare the protected monuments from ``unnecessary excavation''.

Further, ``all steps towards so-called `restoration' of monuments should be avoided; a case in point being the preservation work at the Red Fort. When any alteration or addition becomes necessary for reasons of structural protection, the plan of restoration should be published and time given for independent expert advice.''

Pune incident

The IHC expressed ``shock and anguish'' at the attack on the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune.

``It is shocking that those who profess to be acting to protect the good repute of our culture shall so wantonly destroy its creations. All the historians gathered in this session express their solidarity with their colleagues who were undeservedly maligned and sought to be humiliated.''

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