New Delhi: Boards detailing history and
significance of historical sites will be put across monuments
in the capital by early next year, as part of the project to
allot signages to the heritage structures.
Cultural notice boards, as they are called, will be put
across 46 monuments on the heritage route in the next three
months to inform visitors ahead of the Commonwealth Games
about their historical and architectural values.
Currently being developed under the supervision of the
Archaeological Survey of India, the cultural notice boards are
part of a project to display signages on historical sites,
classifying them according to the era of their establishment.
"Cultural notice boards are important as an informative
tool for visitors; they will contain historical details of the
concerned monuments. For instance, put up at the Qutub Minar,
they will detail facts like who started it and who built the
consecutive storeys," KK Mohammad, Superintendent
Archaeologist, ASI, told reporters.
The signages project, being undertaken by three
independent organisations under the supervision of the ASI is
expected to be complete in three months time, he said.
"The work has been allotted to three bodies, and they
have been asked to present the designs to us, to enable us to
ensure uniformity," he said.
Displaying signages, conservationists say, is a worldwide
practice and helps preserve the heritage character of cities.
For the purpose of identifying the eras the monuments
belong to, the models of signages are divided into three
categories -- the Sultanat period, the Mughal period and the
British period.
Mohammad said the project has been given to three
independent bodies to ensure there is "an element of
competition" between them.
"Each of the three bodies has been given a contract of Rs
25 to 30 lakh," he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009, 10:01