Under the provisions of the said Act, 100 meters area from protected limit of centrally protected monument/site has been declared as prohibited area for new constructions and beyond this, 200 meters area has been declared as Regulated Area for the said purposes.
Repair/renovation of the existing structures in prohibited areas and new constructions in regulated areas are permissible on obtaining permission from National Monument Authority/Competent Authority meant for such purpose.
While implementing the provisions of the Act on the ground, there may be problems in some parts of the country including Mamallapuram area of Tamil Nadu.
Since the above Act is promulgated for better preservation of the monument and its surrounding, the law of land is to be complied with for which Archaeological Survey of India is committed.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Smt. Katoch said, although there is no specific complaint received by the Archaeological Survey of India regarding hampering the daily lives of the people of Mamallapuram area of Tamil Nadu, Government of India had issued a preliminary notification to declare Sthalasayanaperumal temple at Mamalapuram as a monument of national importance in 2003-04.
But the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment Department through the Madras High Court got a stay order on the preliminary notification.
On the directions of the Hon’ble court, a Public hearing was held in 2012 in Mamallapuram involving political parties and the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment Department. The matter was further examined by the Government.
In view of the objections raised by local people, Government has decided not to declare Sthalasayanaperumal temple at Mamalapuram as monument of national importance.
