Three Protected Monuments in Telangana Under Encroachment, Says Centre

 Hyderabad: The Centre has listed three centrally-protected monuments and sites in Telangana among 414 facing encroachments across the country, Union minister for culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The government, however, did not disclose the names of the three monuments.

In a written reply, Shekhawat said there were 3,688 ancient monuments and archaeological sites declared to be of national importance across the country, of which 414 monuments and sites faced encroachment.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has completed surveys, geo-referencing and digitisation of the boundaries of protected monuments and sites and uploaded the data on the Bhuvan portal. Integration with State land records is being undertaken wherever required in coordination with the respective State governments, the minister said.

Union minister G. Kishan Reddy had earlier raised concerns over encroachments at Warangal Fort and written to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy seeking removal of illegal structures and action against those occupying fort lands. He said the ASI had repeatedly issued notices since 2022, but unauthorised constructions continued and portions of the earthen wall had also been encroached upon.

Revenue records continue to show the fort lands as government property rather than ASI land, complicating eviction efforts.

Heritage activists and officials have also highlighted encroachment pressures around the Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanamkonda and the Ramappa Temple complex in Mulugu district, both ASI-protected monuments.

At the Thousand Pillar Temple, administrative lapses in transferring attached lands to the heritage department have left them vulnerable to disputes and encroachments. Concerns around the Ramappa Temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site, have centred on illegal structures and inadequate enforcement of the buffer zone. Conservationists have warned that such activities could threaten the temple's foundation.

The Warangal district administration has recently begun mapping lands under the control of the ASI and the State Department of Heritage to prevent further encroachments.

Other centrally protected monuments in Telangana have also faced allegations of encroachment and unauthorised activity. At the Charminar, heritage activists have raised concerns over structures and commercial activity near the monument, including the area around the Bhagyalakshmi temple. The ASI had earlier sought removal of unauthorised structures, including a police shed and a temporary room erected beside the temple.

Concerns have also been raised over unauthorised constructions in the prohibited and regulated zones surrounding the Qutb Shahi Tombs. At Alampur, heritage conservation concerns have centred on encroachments and pressure on lands and areas attached to the historic temple complex. Officials and activists have maintained that the absence of clearly demarcated monument boundaries and revenue maps has made enforcement difficult.

ASI records reportedly put the number of encroachments around Golconda Fort at about 300, while heritage activists have claimed that the number could exceed 2,000. The higher figure has not been officially confirmed. Reports have also raised concerns over unauthorised constructions in the regulated zone around the fort and the lack of clarity over the precise extent of its protected boundaries.

Shekhawat said protection of a monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958, did not mandatorily require acquisition or ownership of the land on which it stood. The ASI's primary objective was conservation and maintenance of protected monuments in accordance with the AMASR Act and Rules, 1959.

“Wherever encroachments or unauthorised activities are noticed, appropriate action is taken” under the law, he said.

Joint surveys are conducted with local revenue officials to fix monument boundaries, the minister said.

When contacted about the three Telangana monuments referred to in the written reply, ASI Hyderabad Superintendent Nikhil Das said he was not aware of the monuments mentioned. He also said he had not shared any information about encroachments on protected monuments with the Centre.