Bijapur:
Out of a total of 80 historical monuments in Bijapur that are protected by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), as many as 53 have been encroached, a senior Archeological Survey of India official said on Saturday.
Talking to reporters at the premises of the famous Gol Gumbaz here, SV Venkateshiah, the Southern Region Director of ASI said that all efforts were on to remove the illegal encroachments.
He said these monuments were denotified by district administration without the knowledge of ASI in 2005 which came to the agency's notice of ASI two years later.
Since then, the ASI was making all efforts to acquire back these monuments, he said, adding "the legal process to bring back the monuments under the ambit of ASI is still on".
However, awareness needs to be created among the general public regarding protection of historical monuments.
Mr Venkateshaiah said for the convenience of physically challenged tourists, battery operated wheelchair services would soon be provided at Gol Gumbaz.
Beautification of Rani Mahal and Ramling Lake will also be taken up during this financial year, he said.