NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUG 26
The Archaeological Survey of India on Wednesday announced the creation of six more circles and expansion of three others in a massive boost to the development and maintenance of ancient sites in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.
Maintenance of ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance is the prime concern of the ASI and for this, the entire country is divided into 29 circles and three mini-circles.
Making the announcement of the new circles, Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel in a video message said that he was hopeful that these circles will play an important role in the better maintenance and protection of ancient sites in these states.
The new circles which have been created are in Rajkot in Gujarat, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Jhansi, and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Raiganj in West Bengal and Trichy in Tamil Nadu.
The ASI has also merged the Delhi minicircle with the Delhi circle and the Hampi mini circle has been expanded to a full-fledged circle by attaching a few districts from the Dharwar circle.
“In order to strengthen the campaign of the prime minister to conserve, protect, register, and self-declaration of archaeological sites and artifacts, the Culture Ministry has announced the creation of new circles. The ASI has announced a new circle at Trichy along with the once in Chennai keeping in mind the glorious memories of the Chola kings, with large states like Tamil Nadu having thousands of temples ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 years old.
“Today the Hampi Sub-Circle has been made a Circle as of this city in Karnataka is of archaeological importance,” Patel said in a tweet.
The various circles and its aligned offices are an important part of the conservation of ancient sites. They undertake village to village surveys, archaeological explorations, problem-oriented projects, identification of monuments for protection, conservation, preservation, management and general upkeep of centrally protected monuments.
