Buildings near the Sisupalgarh monument. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, Aug. 21: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has said that lack of action by the state authorities over the past two decades led to mushrooming of illegal constructions in the protected areas of the ruins of Sisupalgarh.

Trying to absolve itself of charges of inaction against onslaught of construction activities in the 2,000-year-old fortified settlement on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, the ASI said that since 1995 it had been asking the state authorities to clamp down on illegal constructions.

Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Odisha chapter, convener Amiya Bhusan Tripathy had moved Orissa High Court, seeking declaration of buildings constructed on land earmarked for excavation and preservation of the ancient monument as illegal.

The petition also sought the court’s direction for construction of boundary wall encircling the excavated and its peripheral areas to protect it from encroachments.

The division bench of Chief Justice Amitava Roy and Justice B.R.Sarangi posted the matter for hearing after two weeks. The court has asked the state government to file a response by then.

In its affidavit, the ASI said complaints were filed at the local Lingaraj police station and the collector of Khurda was requested several times to stop the unauthorised constructions within the protected area.

“But necessary action from the district administration and state Authorities are still awaited,” the affidavit said.

Counsel for Intach Guru Prasad Mohanty told The Telegraph: “The PIL was filed in March 2007. After it languished for over two years on March 27, 2009, the court sought responses from the state government and the ASI within three weeks. While the ASI filed its affidavit after more than five years on Wednesday, it is unfortunate that the state government is yet to respond till date.”

The Telegraph had been highlighting the issue of unauthorised constructions and encroachments at the site.

“The private land within the fort of Sisupalgarh was initially agricultural land and converted later into the residential area of government of Odisha. On conversion of the land as a residential area, the people started to purchase the plots and subsequently several buildings were raised within the protected area,” the ASI said in its affidavit.

Latest reports indicate that now only 0.775 acres of the entire protected land is under ASI’s control. The small area has a group of 16 monolithic pillars of laterite stone near the western gate of the fort, which was excavated in the past. More than 1,000 buildings had come up inside the fort area violating the 2010 Act.

The state government issued a notification in 2000 banning conversion of agriculture land into homestead land. Another notification was issued in 2006 to ban houses in the protected area. Despite the order, construction activities are on in full swing at Sisupalgarh. The state has also not bothered to demolish structures that have come up in violation of the Act and subsequent orders.