December 18, 2025
Saket Gokhale’s Supplementary Question on the vetting mechanism and liability for the private players being involved by the Union government in conservation work
Hon. Chairman, Sir, there are recent reports which have come out indicating a major policy shift where private entities, who have been given a lot of these spaces, may be allowed to undertake core conservation work effectively ending the Archaeological Survey of India’s century-old monopoly on preservation. Sir, a lot of these private companies, maybe either cement companies or steel companies, do not have any expertise when it comes to conservation. So, my specific question to the hon. Minister is: Does the Government have any vetting mechanism to prevent amateur restoration jobs done by unqualified archeologists, and, also, what is the liability for private players doing conservation work, in case they cause any damage to our heritage structure.
