Recently government announced that under the Centre Vista Redevelopment project it has proposed to demolish the National Archives annexe and replace it with newbuilding. The main building of National Archives will not be demolished.
National Archives annexe building is a house for several important documents relevant to historical research. The building has cartography section and 1,50,000 oriental records in Persian, Arabic, and Urdu.
More than 100 historians in India and across the world have written to head of National Archives seeking clarity on how documents are stored in archives annexe that is imminent to be demolished. Leading Scholars from India and foreign are circulating a petition demanding the government to have more transparency in the proposed demolition of the annexe and safe storage of its contents.
A number questions are unanswered and the process is being carried on in an opaque manner without the consent of the public, archivists, scholars etc,. The protestors against annexe demolition include scholars holding important position in some of the best institutions.
The Documents stored are historic, old and brittle. The demolition of this valuable annexe could result in loss of important information. The loss or damage to even a single record would be an irrevocable loss.
Archival Records includes: ( mentioned in petition)
- 4.5 million files
- 25,000 rare manuscripts
- more than 1,00,000 maps, treaties
- 2,80,000 premodern documents etc.,
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