Title - Monuments Authority gives NOC to railways for new bridge near Salimgarh Fort

The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has given the go-ahead to the Northern Railway’s Plan to build a new bridge near world heritage site Salimgarh Fort. This will be the first public project in Delhi to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from NMA.   The authority gave the railways the go-ahead taking into consideration the heritage value of the old iron bridge. It said the rail portion of the old bridge should be preserved as a museum. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Northern Railway got embroiled in a long-drawn battle as work on the new bridge would have caused damage to portions of the Salimgarh Fort.   The project was given approval only after the bridge was realigned to ensure that construction took place outside the 100m prohibited zone. Railways sought ASI's permission to build a new bridge in place of the 150-year-old iron bridge connecting Shahdara and the Old Delhi railway station.   However, ASI refused permission as construction of the proposed bridge involved demolition of a portion of the ancient fort. The railways was asked for a revised plan. In the meantime, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, was passed and National Monuments Authority come into being— which would now grant permission.