Lokmat News Network
Aurangabad:
The district collector A K Pandey and the municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari today paid a surprise visit and inspected the vicinity of Bibi ka Maqbara. The 80-foot-wide road situated near the monument will be developed by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and for it, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will have to hand over its land to the civic body. The superintending archaeologist (ASI, Aurangabad Circle) Milan Kumar Chauley was also present on the occasion.
Hundreds of international delegates are going to visit the city as a part of the G20 summit in February 2023. Moreover, a delegation of women (W20) are going to hold a meeting in the city. Later on, these delegates are going to visit the heritage sites and important places situated in and around the city.
Hence the two authorities paid the visit to see what has to be done to maintain the roads approaching the monuments, and ensure the functioning of electric lights in the vicinities and the periphery of monuments are maintained clean and tidy. Pandey and Chaudhari conducted the joint inspection very minutely. Later on, the trio held a detailed discussion on the pending construction of 80-foot wide development plan road adjacent to the Maqbara. The ASI conditioned on preserving the heritage gate and an old well situated close to the present narrow road. Hence it is learnt that the civic chief told the ASI to hand over the land required for the land and the AMC will conserve the gate as well as the well and also widen the road.
AMC informs to hand over land for DP road
According to the sources, “The discussion was held in a positive way. The ASI agreed upon handing over the land for the road. The ASI also expressed its plans to develop a walking plaza on the existing zig-zag road (situated in front of Maqbara) leading to the Aurangabad Caves. In reply, the civic chief assured the ASI of developing the walking plaza if it is also handed over to the AMC. The civic chief also agreed upon giving a water connection to ASI to meet the demand of water required for it to maintain the garden inside and outside the campus of the Maqbara.
The authorities also held a discussion on keeping the vicinity clean and hygienic as Maqbara will also be illuminated during the visit of the G20 delegation in February 2023.
ASI urge to remove encroachments
Chauley also brought to the notice of Pandey and Chaudhari several encroachments upon its sprawling land. Hence the district collector ordered the city survey office to complete the marking of the ASI’s land on priority, it is learnt.