[MSN] Supreme Court asks Centre to respond to suggestion on artefacts' safety

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Supreme Court asks Centre to respond to suggestion on artefacts' safety 

New Delhi, May 11: The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to respond
within four weeks to sugegstions of a PIL petitioner seeking direction to
the entre to take appropriate measure to ensure safety and security of
historial objects and artefacts kept in museums across the country.

In an affidavit filed before a Bench headed by Justice Ruma Pal, Subhas
Dutta of Howrah, who filed the PIL in the matter in 2004, suggested that a
time-bound programme should be taken by all the musuems to implement the
recommendations of the Security Committee appointed by the the Centre in
January 2004.

He suggested that physical verification of all the historical objects should
be done by competent outside agency at regular intervals and an investory of
such items should be maintained. He suggested special training for musuem
staff.

Dutta pointed out that the Ministry of Culture had accepted in principle to
carry out physical verification of objects and it has been done so for
National Museum here. He demanded that the same be done in other museums
also.

Drawing the court's attention to the cases of theft from Asiatic Society and
Victoria Memorial Kolkata, the Nobel Prize Medal theft and December 2004
stealing of fifth century Buddha Head, Dutta said at least for the former
two physical verification of historic objects should be done and compared
with the record book.

Earlier, the Centre had expressed its inability to create a separate force
for security of museums. 

http://www.newkerala.com/