3 wks to demarcate forests in Mehrauli archaeological park: HC

Expressing its displeasure with the AAP government and other authorities over not demarcating the forest area of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park despite its direction one year ago, the Delhi High Court today gave them three weeks time as a final opportunity to carry out the exercise.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Jayant Nath asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to initially foot the bill of the demarcation exercise which, as per the land owning agency, was allegedly not being carried out as Delhi government had not cleared past dues of the firm which was to do the work.

The court said it wanted the demarcation to be done by total station method, under which an electronic or optical instrument is used for carrying out the survey, and asked DDA to pay the cost so that there would be no further delay.
The bench directed the Waqf Board to provide geo-tagged photographs of the various monuments inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park before the next date of hearing on December 14.
The directions came on a PIL by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) which has sought that the Archaeological Park, spread over 100 acres and having about 80 monuments, be "preserved, protected and maintained".

INTACH in its plea has said that the monuments in the park range from grand structures like Quli Khan's tomb, Balban's Tomb, Maulana Jamali's mosque and tomb and Rajon ki Baoli, to several minor monuments that "together constitute a huge cultural asset and potential heritage recreation space for the city".
The NGO has said the park had been encroached at several places and was under constant threat of further encroachments.