The High Court of Uttarakhand has directed the State Government to remove encroachments from ancient monuments and archaeologically important sites while also stopping unauthorised construction at such sites. The division bench of acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari directed the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India to frame bylaws in six months with suggestions from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage for preserving the monuments of Uttarakhand. These should then be presented before the National Monuments Authority.
Kashipur resident Anil Kumar Maheshwari had filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking removal of encroachments from around monuments of national importance and declaration of such sites as national heritage.
The High Court directed the ASI to take over the maintenance of the Dron Sagar Chaiti and Moteshwar Mahadev temples in Kashipur. Further, the court has also stated that the historically important Govishana Mound in Kashipur should be declared a national heritage site.