Heritage fund soon for conservation

The state government will set up a Telangana Heritag e Fund to preserve, conser ve and maintain heritage sites, monuments, structures and buildings. Funds will be mobilised through grants from the state government, as also via contributions and donations from local bodies and others.

The government has listed heritage structures and sites into six categories, na mely pre-proto protected monuments, pre-Kakatiyan protected monuments, Ka katiya-protected monumen ts, post-Kakatiyan- protect ed monuments, and natural-protected monuments, besides a sixth being the Miscellaneous category, wh ich includes structures, ins criptions and pillars.

Those who damage or alter or deface heritage property shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three years and a penalty of up to `50,000. If convicted, the person/institution resp onsible has to restore the heritage property to its original shape at his own cost. The new rules were incorporated in the Telangana Heritage (Prote ction, Preservation, Conser vation and Maintenance) Act, 2017, recently passed by Telangana Legislature.

The new legislation was brought forward for conservation and preservation of heritage buildings and precincts including rock formation in state.

In the Pre-Proto protected monuments category, 107 items were notified which included Neolithic Implem ents, Stone Circle, Megali thic Burials, Cairns & Menhirs. In Pre-Kakatiyan protected monuments category, 16 were notified, which include forts, fortification walls, Buddhist stupas and Early historic sites.

In the Kakatiyan protected monuments category, 100 items were notified, which include the Basara Saras wathi temple, the Dharmap uri Laxminarasimha temple, the Alampur old Hindu temples and forts in Atmak ur, Nalgonda, Bhongir, Tati konda, Zafargadh, Jain tem ples in Maddur.

In Post-Kakatiyan protected monuments category, 110 items were notified, which include Hindu temples, Islamic monuments, forts, fortification walls etc. In Natural protected monuments category, two sets were notified which include wood fossils in Asifabad, fossils in Sirpur.

In Miscellaneous category, 11 items were notified, which include sculptures, inscriptions and pilllars in Nampally, Medak, Nalgon da, Bhongir, Nizamabad, Chevella, Khanapur and Warangal.

The new Act has replaced the Telangana Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960, Regula tion 13 of Hyderabad Urban Development Authority Zoning Regulations 1981 Act as amended in 1995 made under the Telangana Urban Are-as (Development) Act,1975.