ASI under fire over Mahabodhi

BODH GAYA: Barely two weeks before the Mahabodhi Temple celebrates its inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites on February 19, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has come under fire for allegedly poor restoration work of the temple.
The work, started in February 2002, is not complete and the Mahabodhi Temple Management Committee is complaining of "amateurish" restoration work by the agency."The temple looks worse than before with several hairline cracks becoming more pronounced", said the committee secretary, Kalicharan Yadav.
He pointed out that the ASI has been paid Rs 20 lakh for the restoration and renovation work. "While working on the Dwarika Temple an experts committee was supervising the operation, but here a junior engineer has been put in charge," Yadav alleged.
The 6th century shrine on the site where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, has undergone a series of restoration work. The last elaborate restoration work was undertaken in 1965. "The management committee will now look for professional help other than that from the ASI — from abroad if necessary, irrespective of the cost," the secretary asserted.
However, it''s not only the inept restoration work which is bothering the committee. The main function to celebrate the inclusion of the shrine in the list of World Heritage Sites has been abruptly shifted to Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi, on February 20 and is likely to be attended by the President, Prime Minister and over 500 foreign delegates. The change of venue has left the committee disappointed.
"The change of venue was not even communicated to us. Bodh Gaya has the infrastructure to play host to upto 5,000 guests," Yadav said, adding that the committee would lodge its protest against the shifting of the venue as it was the custodian of the shrine.
The shift of venue has hurt the economy of Bodh Gaya hard. "The occupancy of hotels has dropped by 75 per cent," remarked Arvind Sharma, manager of a hotel. The owner of a cyber cafe-cum-studio, Anant Thakur, complained that his business has dropped from Rs 25,000 per day to Rs 2,000. The gloom is all the more profound as the Dalai Lama is not scheduled to visit Bodh Gaya this calendar. "Business booms during his visit," said Thakur.
Businessmen are also apprehensive that they may be evicted from their present premises near the Mahabodhi Temple to meet the Unicef norms for the World Heritage Sites. Hudco is preparing a master plan for the town.