6 days ago
Uttar Pradesh Rehabilitates Families From ASI-Protected Saundhan Fort
The Uttar Pradesh government is moving 21 families who live inside an old fort.
Each family has been given a 100-square-meter plot of land.
The families are receiving the plots before their homes are removed from the fort.
Five families led by widows will also receive houses through a government housing scheme.
The fort is protected because it is an important historical monument.
Officials say homes inside the fort make it harder to preserve.
They want to protect the fort and possibly make it a tourist attraction.
The plan tries to help the families while taking care of the historic site.
Uttar Pradesh allotted 100-square-meter plots to 21 families living inside Saundhan Fort.
The families are being rehabilitated before homes are removed from the protected monument.
Five widowed beneficiaries will receive houses under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana.
Saundhan Fort is an Archaeological Survey of India-protected Mughal-era monument built in 1645.
Officials hope conservation will support Sambhal’s development as a religious and tourism destination.
- Who
- The Uttar Pradesh government, district administration, and 21 families living inside Saundhan Fort.
- What
- The administration is rehabilitating the families by allotting plots and housing support before removing their homes from the monument.
- Where
- Saundhan Fort in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- Officials announced the rehabilitation on Thursday; the plot allotment was being carried out before Raksha Bandhan festivities.
- Why
- To conserve the Archaeological Survey of India-protected fort while addressing the housing needs of residents and supporting tourism plans.
Heritage Conservation
Resident Welfare
Removing homes from the fort
Heritage Conservation
Officials say homes inside the ASI-protected monument hinder conservation and should be removed so the fort can be preserved and developed as a visitor attraction.
Resident Welfare
Residents need alternative land and housing before displacement; the administration is providing plots and additional housing support to address their needs.
Nature of the occupation
Heritage Conservation
The administration and local BJP leader describe the homes as encroachments on a historical heritage site.
Resident Welfare
Harendra Singh Rinku Chaudhary said the occupants were poor people rather than land mafias, arguing that the government should show sensitivity toward them.
Housing on allotted plots
Heritage Conservation
The plot allotment enables the government to clear the monument while providing a relocation pathway.
Resident Welfare
Chaudhary acknowledged beneficiaries’ concerns about how they would build houses and said he would seek further housing arrangements if possible.
Key facts
- Families rehabilitated
- 21
- Plot size per family
- 100 square metres
- Housing beneficiaries
- Five widowed beneficiaries are to receive houses under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana.
- Monument status
- Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Fort era
- Mughal-era monument
- Construction year
- 1645, during the reign of Shah Jahan
- Future objective
- Conservation and potential tourism development in Sambhal.
Quotes
Harendra Singh Rinku Chaudhary
BJP district president in Sambhal
“The Saundhan Fort is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected site, and efforts have been made for a long time to preserve it. District Magistrate Ankit Khandelwal had earlier inspected the site and directed that arrangements be made to rehabilitate all those living inside the fort.”
rediff.com
“The administration got the encroachments removed so that our heritage remains protected and future generations can learn about our history. However, those occupying the fort are not land mafias but poor people, and the government has shown sensitivity towards them.”
rediff.com
Sources
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