Dear Shahid IqbalChoudhry,
This is regarding the archaeological site and remains atBurzhom, Srinagar, recently in news for all the wrong reasons. The site hasbeen protected under the national act, The Archaeological Monuments Monumentsites and Remains Act,(AMSAR). At the time of notification, 82 kanals of landwere transferred to Archaeological Survey of India. The site was identified andexcavated by a Yale- Cambridge expedition in 1935 and subsequently by T Nkhazanchi of ASI in 1960. These excavations revealed immense importance of thesite and was therefore placed on the tentative list of World Heritage sites byUNESCO in 2014. The UNESCO describes the site as ‘a unique comprehensivestoryteller of life between 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE”. The site, as per the UNESCOlisting, acted as a bridge between Central Asia and beyond and the Gangeticplains and peninsular India.
I presume you would be aware of the extreme vandalization ofthe aforesaid site, by way of encroachments by private persons over the years,and recently, by converting most of the site into a cricket field. I understandthe sports agencies have beenorganizing premier league matches under the patronage of State and DistrictAdministration at the site in contravention of the Central Act and the rulesguiding the protection of archaeological sites.
I, in the company of two avid activists of heritagepreservation, namely, Mr. Saifuddin Soz and Mr. Saleem Beg, had an occasion torecently visit the site and it was absolutely disheartening to find that thesignages that explain the relevance of the site was damaged. The siteinterpretation sheds and passage was also damaged. These developments wereviewed, with serious concern, by the members of the Group of ConcernedCitizens, a Civil Society Group, which raises its voice, from time to time, onimportant topical issues. I have nodoubt that you would know the importance of the site for our prehistory andarchaeology and would not, therefore, I do not need to emphasize it anyfurther.
Another issue which needs to be pursued is to get back theartefacts, which have been taken by the ASI authorities to Delhi, for thepurpose of detailed study of age determination and linkages. This had becomenecessary in the absence of necessary facilities for study and storage at thesite in Srinagar. It is, therefore, necessary to pursue the project alreadyconceived for development of the site from archaeological point of view.
Another issue which needs consideration is that the site isnow being utilised for playing cricket matches. This aspect concerns the StateGovernment directly. You, as the head of the district administration, need toexplore the possibility of identifying suitable land around the area forsetting up of a sports field.
I earnestly request you to take immediate remedial action byproviding necessary support to the ASI, for fencing and for stopping misuse ofthe site, and on the other points, as indicated above.
M .S. Pandit is IAS (Rtd)