Conservation: A saga of limited resources and shortage of manpower

Shortage of employees, insufficient funds, and disappearing monuments and websites owing to encroachment are some of the most important points plaguing conservation efforts within the State.

The harm to the Kali idol on the Mahalakshmi Temple belonging to the Hoysala period at Doddagaddavalli in Hassan taluk highlights challenges in defending the State’s heritage websites and monuments.

Karnataka has practically 650 websites below the safety of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the second highest in India after Uttar Pradesh.

But sources mentioned the annual funds is hardly ample and is round ₹20 crore inclusive of wages for the safety employees.

However, not all monuments are sanctioned safety employees and that’s restricted to websites that are inclined to have vacationer attraction.

In addition to centrally protected monuments, the State Department of Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage has practically 850 websites, however once more the funds is round ₹25 crore which is insufficient.

The division can be affected by an acute shortage of employees. The sanctioned employees is round 232 and there may be practically 50% emptiness.

The sanctioned power for Group D staff — primarily monument attendants — is 119 posts and 89 are vacant, based on sources.

The state of affairs is so grave that consultants have cautioned that artifacts and websites might disappear owing to encroachment within the absence of safety.

Recently, the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) accomplished the 3D and laser mapping of 105 monuments within the Bengaluru income division.

But its report famous that not less than two of the websites included “did not exist.”

The report mentioned that the Siddeshwara temple at Neerthadi in Davangere didn’t exist, whereas 35 megalithic monuments on website quantity 14 and 185 in Jadigenhalli in Hoskote was both encroached upon or destroyed.

Similarly, the KSCST couldn’t perform the 3D laser mapping of a megalithic monument in Kannuru, additionally in Hoskote, because it was submerged.

N.S. Rangaraju, convener of Mysuru chapter of INTACH, mentioned the risk to historic websites are actual however no significance is hooked up to them.

“We document their presence during field visits but the area gets converted to agricultural tracts or are removed from the site during our subsequent visits,” he mentioned.

As an answer, Mr. Rangaraju mooted the concept of constituting heritage committees at taluk ranges comprising locals and elected representatives.

He mentioned because the division alone can’t lengthen safety to all of the websites, given the manpower and monetary implications, the general public ought to become involved and advised that the police make frequent visits to the websites to make sure that they don’t seem to be vandalised.