Bhubaneswar: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has lodged a police complaint against those involved in the construction of a park at the protected Buddhist archaeological site at Udayagiri in Jajpur district and issued a stop-work notice, following alleged violations of the law governing protected monuments.
Unauthorised work on a park at the Buddhist heritage site in Udayagiri was recently stopped
A private entity had started construction in mid-2025 inside the protected area, allegedly in violation of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958. The National Monuments Authority (NMA) and ASI have now initiated an inquiry into the alleged encroachment, amid concerns over the protection of the wider heritage landscape of Udayagiri.Superintending archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley said the construction has now been stopped, and efforts are on to ensure no further encroachment takes place in the prohibited or regulated areas.“Although there are encroachments around the site, this construction was coming up in the regulated area. It is a violation of Rule 20 of the AMASR Act. We had earlier taken up the issue with the local collector and SP, but there was no response,” Chauley said.Multiple calls and text messages to district collector Ambar Kar for his comments on the issue went unanswered.Sources in the local sarpanch’s office said they first noticed work underway on the site in mid-2025, when sand was being dumped and levelled at the site. “Initially, we thought the sand was being used to level the land for a parking area or some other amenities. However, when the foundation for superstructures was laid a few months later, we informed the ASI,” said Godabari Shyanti, sarpanch of Gopalpur gram panchayat under Badachana block.ASI field officer PP Pradhan said the agency subsequently took up the matter with the private entity on several occasions and warned it that the construction violated provisions of the AMASR Act. However, work continued despite the repeated interventions, Pradhan said.Under Sections 20 and 20A of the AMASR Act, a uniform 100-metre prohibited area and an additional 200-metre regulated area are prescribed around centrally protected monuments.The development assumes significance given that India has submitted the names of Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri to UNESCO for World Heritage site status.“If encroachments in and around these sites are not removed, the state will lose its chance of getting the complex registered as a World Heritage site. Besides, this complex has been preserved by the ASI in its original form. There is no development work within the prohibited and regulated areas that can change the character of this important site,” Chauley said.Archaeology experts said the incident has brought into focus the challenge of protecting the wider heritage landscape.Archaeology experts said the incident has brought into focus the challenge of protecting the wider heritage landscape.
