INTACH to lose heritage project in Lodhi Garden
The Archaeological Survey of India has decided to take back the restoration work of monuments at Lodhi Garden from the heritage conservation body, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, citing “unsatisfactory” quality of work.
NEW DELHI: When Archaeological Survey of India and Intach's Delhi Chapter signed an MoU to conserve five tombs in Lodhi Gardens in 2008-09, it was hailed as a landmark move. The project was meant to be completed in a year. Five years on, only partial work in Phase I has been completed due to a falling out between ASI and Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) over quality of work undertaken in 2010. Sources said ASI has decided to disassociate Intach from the project.
.... (INTACH) had just started work on Bara Gumbad when ASI put a freeze on funds alleging "sub-standard work".
Meetings were held between ASI and Intach to resolve this. As time passed, cost escalation became another sore point with Intach refusing to continue until project costs were revised. ASI blamed the trust for the rise. Intach convener A G K Menon alleged the entire episode was "motivated" and a retaliation by ASI to Intach's opposing views on conservation policy and ideology.
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ASI has maintained the work was "sub-standard" from the start. ASI director-general ASI Praveen Srivastava said, "The project was given to Intach during Commonwealth Games. But their work was later found to be unsatisfactory and so it has been stopped for the last two years. As of now, Intach is no longer associated with the project and a final view on their involvement will be taken after a report from the superintending archaeologist. They were told to rectify certain errors and have apparently not done so satisfactorily."1
Supposedly, the biggest public-private collaboration in Delhi between the ASI and INTACH has come to an end.
The INTACH, however, refuted the allegations about the quality of work. “If they aren’t satisfied with our work, why don’t they show us what do they mean by quality work?” convener of INTACH Delhi Chapter, A G K Menon told Deccan Herald.
“We reject their statement. For one they are reviewnig the work three years after it’s done. Secondly, the conservation process was taken up under the supervision of the ASI,” Menon added.
INTACH agreed that there were some “small irregularities”, which were rectified. “In 2010, a team of ASI inspected the work done and found some faults with it, which the INTACH accepted and rectified,” he said.
“One of the main bottlenecks is funding. The ASI have been meaning to take the work back from us as they couldn’t not provide us adequate funds.”
According to INTACH, the ASI had stopped releasing funds through the National Culture Fund (NCF). 2