No proposal under consideration to declare Bankim Bhavan as national heritage site: Govt

New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) The Centre was on Thursday asked in Parliament whether it would consider declaring an old house in West Bengal associated with the legacy of poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as a "national heritage site", to which the government said, "no such proposal is under consideration".

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was asked whether it is a fact that the Bankim Bhavan Gaveshana Kendra in Kantalpada, Naihati, built to preserve the heritage of the writer of "the National Song, 'Vande Mataram', has lost its usefulness due to lack of maintenance", and whether the government would consider declaring it a "national heritage site", in view of its significance in the Indian freedom movement.

Shekhawat said the Bankim Bhavan Gaveshana Kendra is an autonomous research centre "under the Higher Education Department, Social Education Branch, government of West Bengal".

It houses a biographical museum on Chattopadhyay, he said.

"The building was restored in the year 1999 and is being maintained with the support of the funds provided by the state government," the Union minister said.

Whether the government would consider declaring it a "national heritage site", the minister said, "Currently, no such proposal is under consideration with the government of India." India is currently celebrating 150 years of the creation of "Vande Mataram".

In a separate query by TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, Shekhawat was asked whether the government has "taken cognisance" of reports that India's palaeontological fossils, including ammonites, ancient marine species and rare vertebrate remains are "being sold through storefronts and international auction houses" and if so, details of fossil thefts, illegal excavations and cases registered in India during the last five years.

"Geological Survey of India (GSI) is aware of few such incidents through print media/social media available in public domain," Shekhawat said in his response.

"As per its charter of operations, GSI recognises and declares specific sites of geological importance known as National Geological Monuments or Geoheritage sites in India. Some of these sites are maintained by GSI and for other sites GSI provides technical support, wherever sought," he added.

Asked about the status of the "draft plan on national fossil repository", the Union minister said, "There is no such plan with GSI." In response to a separate query, he said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has given "24 permissions for excavation/exploration till December, 2025 in the current financial year".

Preparation of the technical report is an integral part of every excavation which is to be submitted after its completion, he added.

Shekhawat said the staffing in ASI's excavation branches are addressed through regular filling up of sanctioned posts according to the recruitment rules, including recruitment through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and promotion of eligible officers from feeder grades.

During the last one year, the number of staff posted in the excavation branches has increased from 86 to 102. Further, rational deployment of available manpower is undertaken based on operational requirements of ongoing excavation projects. Capacity-building of field staff is carried out through internal training programmes from time to time, he said. PTI KND KSS KSS