New Delhi, March 17 No historically significant artefacts, including belongings of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, are lying in the strongroom of Delhi Police’s Parliament Street Police Station, the Parliament was informed on Monday.
Minister of Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, told Lok Sabha in response to a question by Manish Tewari of the Congress that the Government has no role in taking care of such items or their return to families of the freedom fighters.
“No such survey has been conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India as objects from the case properties are handed over as per court order or disposal manuals of the law enforcement agencies,” he said, in response to a question if the government had initiated steps for the proper conservation, documentation and public display of these historic objects.
Shekhawat said, “Such objects received by the ASI, are kept in safe custody at Central Antiquity Collection, ASI, New Delhi. Some of the objects are displayed in museums and Confiscated and Retrieved Antiquities Gallery for the public.”
The Minister also denied claims by the member that valuable items of the two freedom fighters were languishing in the store of Parliament Street Police Station.
“As per records of Delhi Police, no such historically significant artefacts, including belongings of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, along with other valuable items, are lying in the Maalkhana of the Parliament Street Police Station,” he said.
In response to another question, the Minister said, “The Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) in the country with headquarters at Patiala (Punjab), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Kolkata (West Bengal), Dimapur (Nagaland) and Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) to protect, promote and preserve various forms of folk, tribal and local art and culture in the country including Tamil Nadu.”
“The mandate behind setting up of these ZCCs was to bind the nation culturally while retaining the individuality of the regions that comprise them,” he said, adding that the highest amount of Rs 54.06 crore was released during 2023-24 for the centre at Prayagraj.
Followed by this centre, the next highest fund was released for the Kolkata-based centre and the amount stood at Rs 28.99 crore.
The south zone ZCC at Tanjavur was allotted Rs 889 crore during 2023-24, the minister said.
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