In its bid to enhance public access to the city’s historical records, the Delhi Government on Thursday kick-started a project under which four crore archival pages will be digitised and microfilmed in a period of 30 months.
The Delhi Archives has a rich collection of records from year 1803 to 1990 and other major record series such as the trial of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and photos of freedom fighters, old heritage buildings and archaeological sites of the city.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia after inaugurating the project, said, the Delhi Archives has nearly 10 crore pages of archival records.
“It is a unique project of the Government in particular, and the first of its kind in Asia, under which a large number of archival records will be digitised and microfilmed,” he claimed.
“Under the project — Digitisation and Microfilming of Archival Records — the four crore pages will be digitised and microfilmed in a period of 30 months with a cost of `25.40 crore,” the Minister was quoted as saying in a Delhi Government statement.
Delhi Archives is a repository of non-current records of the Government of Delhi and comes under its department of art and culture.
Established in 1972 with the sole aim to preserve the archival heritage of the historic city of Delhi, it is responsible for preservation of the archives and making them available to scholars, the general public and Government officials for research and reference purposes.
“It is a prestigious project of the Government to encourage appreciation of archival heritage among the general public, and the main thrust is on facilitating the public in accessing the archival records with a click of a mouse,” said Sisodia, who also hold the portfolio of Art and Culture.
According to the Government, the other major record series kept at the Delhi Archives include, “farmans and sanads of Mughal ruler Shah Alam; records of the First War of Independence, 1857; land acquisition records for the lutyens’ Zone; infrastructure development record of British era such as — establishment and expansion of railway, establishment of electricity department, growth of education”.
Other important archival documents are telephone and records of major heritage buildings in Delhi such as the legislative Assembly, Metcalfe House, ludlow Castle, and Commissioner’s Office.
Several maps and plans of Delhi, gazette of governments of India, Punjab and Delhi, records of freedom fighters of Delhi, CID and waqf board records, maintenance of internal security records, conviction records of Central Jail, Tihar, and property registration records for the period 1870-1990 are also shelved at the Delhi Archives.
Other treasures of the Archives include 300-400 years old manuscripts on Ayurveda, medicine and religion, the Government said.
