Frequently Asked Questions for:

Q. Can excavation be carried out in a protected area?

Ans. An archaeological officer or a licencee can undertake excavation for archaeological purposes in any protected area.Excavation, by a licencee, must be conducted under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence, issued by the Director General of the ASI.

Q. Who grants licence for excavation in protected areas?

Ans. The Director General, Archaeological Survey of India grants the licence for the excavation in protected area.

Q. How to apply for getting for conducting excavation in protected area?

Ans. Every application for licence shall be in Form II. The application should be made to the Director General at least three months before the proposed date of the commencement of the excavation operations.

Q. Is there any rule for submission of report of the results of the excavation?

Ans. Within three months of the completion of the excavation operations, the licensee shall, submit to the Director-General a summary report of the results of the excavation. Where the operations are carried on for a period of more than three months such report shall be submitted every quarter. It shall be open to the Director-General to publish the report in his reports or reviews.

Q. How long an excavation may be conducted?

Ans. Every licence shall be in force for such period not exceeding three years as may be specified in the licence. The Director-General may extend its period by one year at a time on application made to him at least one month before the expiry of a licence.The aggregate period of any licence does not exceed five years. In other words no excavation in any protected area can be conducted for more than five years.