Court asks civic chief to file say on monuments

AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court on Tuesday rejected an affidavit filed by the deputy engineer of the city’s town planning department regarding the preservation of 52 historic “gates� in the city.
The bench directed the Aurangabad municipal commissioner to file an alternative affidavit.
The bench, comprising justices B.H.Marlapalle and A.S. Bagga, issued the directive while hearing a writ petition filed by historian R.S. Morvanshikar, seeking a ban on the demolition of the historic arched gates.
Acting on a report from the archaeological department, the high court had earlier asked the Aurangabad municipal corporation (AMC) to refrain from damaging the structures.
Morvanshikar had complained to the court that despite the court’s directive, the civic body had initiated steps to demolish the Jinsi gate.
At the last hearing, the court had asked the director of archaeology to submit a report on the state government’s action plan for the preservation of historical monuments in the city.
The high court, clubbing the case with another petition filed by the local Progressive Lawyers’ Association, on Tuesday also ordered the closure of four brick kilns near the Bibi Ka Makbara monument.
The lawyers’ had argued that the kilns posed a grave risk to the Makbara, which is among the top tourist attractions in the state.
The counsel for the Aurangabad municipal corporation submitted to the court that the civic body and the state government had initiatied steps to close six big kilns near the monument.