Only 2 protected monuments in Delhi encroachment-free in 20 years, RTI reveals
Just two out of seven ASI-protected monuments in Delhi have been made encroachment-free in the last 20 years, the archaeological body said in response to an RTI query.
In Short
- Barapullah Bridge and Tughlaqabad Fort recently freed from illegal occupation
- 7 other ASI-protected monuments still face encroachments, unauthorised construction
- Atgah Khan's Tomb, Begumpuri Masjid among monuments having encroachments
Only two centrally-protected monuments in Delhi have been cleared of encroachments, while seven others are still subject to illegal occupation and unauthorised construction in the last 20 years, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application accessed by India Today TV.
As per the ASI, Delhi Circle, encroachments have been removed from the Barapullah Bridge at Nizamuddin and the Tughlaqabad Fort in Southeast Delhi as of 2023-24. While the first one was made encroachment-free in 2024, a similar action occurred at Tughlaqabad Fort in 2023.
Despite growing urban pressures, these clearances mark important milestones in heritage preservation. Nevertheless, seven additional significant monuments that fall under the purview of ASI's Delhi Circle are still encroached upon, which are:
- Atgah Khan's Tomb in Nizamuddin village.
- Begumpur Village's Begumpuri Masjid.
- Old Rajpur Cantonment (Mutiny Cemetery - Maurice Nagar).
- D'Eremao Graveyard - Kishanganj Railway Station.
- Delhi Gate - Firoz Shah Kotla with the remaining walls, bastions and gateways and gardens; the old mosque and its walls and other ruined buildings in the complex.
- Kashmere Gate and portions of the city wall on either side of the Kashmere Gate. The stretch runs from Mori Gate to Kashmere Gate - on one side and on the other side - the water bastions at the northern corner of the walls, and the ditch outside the city wall.
- Wall, gateways, bastions and internal buildings of both the inner and outer citadels of Tughlaqabad Fort.
The ASI also pointed out that Section 8(3) of the Right to Information Act restricts public access to archival data by prohibiting the disclosure of records that are more than 20-years-old.
The revelation from ASI's Delhi Circle highlighted the advancements and the continued difficulties in protecting Delhi's monuments from the dangers of urban growth and encroachment.