On World Heritage Day,when focus was on conservation,restoration and creating awareness about all things heritage,the building that is home of some of the oldest and rarest documents of the country stood in a state of neglect. The National Archives of India (NAI) Annexe building which houses the Archaeological Survey of India library,School of Archival Studies and several offices of the Ministry of Culture,among others greets its visitors with unsightly garbage dumped near its entrance. Inside,the lack of proper facilities for the upkeep of the archival manuscripts is evident. There are no fumigation chambers,proper ventilation and air-conditioning,exposing the documents to regular damage. The air-conditioners have not been cleaned for years,leading to dust accumulation,a source said. The library also faces high humidity. A large number of the archival documents have already become brittle,some have been damaged by insects,the source added. According to sources,not many scholars visit the library and archives,as entry to the premises is restricted. Those who do make it in get lost in the circuitous entrance. The main entrance,closed since 1991,was opened only two months ago. The rear entrance has a huge garbage dump in front,which was last cleaned over four months ago. Despite repeated requests from officials working here,no action has been taken so far. While the NAI is in Janpath and is a restricted entry zone,the NAI premises lack basic sanitation and stray dogs loiter around freely. Mushirul Hasan,Director General of NAI,told Newsline,We have written to the NDMC several times,but there has been no response from them. We have tried to do some cleaning on our own,but are waiting for the NDMC to clear the area properly. As for the CAL library,it is under the ASI and they are responsible for its maintenance. Spokesperson of the NDMC Anand Tiwari,meanwhile,said: The CPWD has a private contractor that lifts garbage from the premises. Our vehicles are not permitted inside,so we occasionally clean the waste on the CPWDs request. Sources said a Canara Bank branch is slated to come up on the premises. This,at a time when the building is already short on space for the libraries and archives sections. Permission for setting up the bank were granted nonetheless. Though work has been completed,the branch is yet to open. Hasan said permissions have now been sought from the Law ministry to open the bank branch,as it will be of help to the officials working on the NAI premises.
