New Delhi, September 30
Acknowledging the problems being faced by several states because of the stringent provisions of the National Monuments Authority (NMA) Rules, 2011, efforts are being made to streamline the process of granting sanctions and non-objection certificates for constructions around historical monuments, said senior officials of NMA.

The strict provisions of the NMA rules has made it compulsory for all states to obtain approval before carrying out any civic activity within 300 m of a historical monument. The rules have aggravated the problems for several states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which are seeking revision in the provisions as these have become hindrance in carrying out developmental activities like construction, repair or alteration work in and around the 300 m of any protected monument without prior permission of the NMA.

The Himachal government had written to the Central government, expressing concerns over the peculiar situation arising due to the provisions of the NMA stating that these are turning out to be against the spirit of culture and heritage of the state.

The Himachal state Assembly had also passed a unanimous resolution on December 21, 2011, that the provisions of the act and the rules be amended for the hilly state.

"We agree that the process needs certain modifications and we are already working in that direction," said NMA member Meera Dass. The NMA was formed as a result of the amendments made to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958) last year and deals with any kind of activity around a protected monument. "Complaints or suggestion from the states are being looked into. We are still in the process of establishing a full-fledged system,'' said Dass, citing that the agency has not even completed one year. She clarified that the rule was formed to prohibit any encroachment or illegal movement near heritage sites or protected monuments.

A computerised system will soon be in place so as to make states enable to send their applications and objections online. "This will reduce the communication time and help in taking up things on a fast-track basis. We will also create a central pool of documentation accessible to all states. The NMA is working to facilitate more information sharing between the Central government agencies and local communities in which heritage structures exist," said Dass.

The authority is framing bylaws for allowing development around protected sites and structures. "We are laying down of guidelines to tackle critical cases. We have just finished making up of 13 varied cases or situations which will be taken up as examples while deciding on building bylaws. It is a very complex and vast subject which involves several complications," said Dass.

New Delhi, September 30
After two robberies in ATM in the past two consecutive days, including the sensational daylight robbery of Rs 5.5 crore on Friday, one ATM of the State Bank of India was destroyed late last night, after it caught fire in the Rani Bagh area, North Delhi. The ATM was loaded with lakhs of rupees.

Officials of the Delhi Fire Service suspect a short circuit in the ATM to be the reason behind the incident around 10.30 pm. It took an hour to douse the flames.

According to the police, a youth Munavvar, who came to use the ATM, called the police control room (PCR) about the fire. "While coming out, he saw sparks in the machine.

"Two fire tenders and some water tankers were pressed into service and the situation was brought under control by 11.30 pm," a fire official said. The value of goods lost is being ascertained.

Just yesterday, robbers had made an attempt to break into a State Bank of India branch in Sarai Rohilla. The failed break-in, which police said was executed late on Friday night, was discovered when staff of the bank turned up on Saturday morning. "The bank manager called the PCR at 9.15 am, reporting that someone had demolished a portion of the wall located at its rear," a senior police official said.

The footage from CCTV camera installed inside the branch was scanned and revealed three-four people barging into the bank around 1 am. "The robbers can be seen trying to unlock an ATM placed inside the bank, but they could not match the correct code which apparently foiled their attempt," the official added.