New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which protects and maintains the country’s cultural heritage, will either have a historian or an archaeologist as its head soon, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday.
“We are in the process of selecting a professional as director general of ASI,” he said while speaking at the concluding session of the 34th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology, which is the advisory body of the ASI.

Manmohan Singh also holds the charge of the culture ministry.

The prime minister also launched a common entry ticket to visit all world heritage sites and protected monuments in the country. The single ticket will help the tourists to visit 10 World Heritage Sites across the country, including the Red Fort in Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort in Delhi. There are over 3,600 protected monuments in the country.

“I agree that the ASI must be given maximum possible functional freedom,” he said.

“I recognise that the ASI cannot work in the way we want without drastic overhaul of its rules and procedures,” he said, adding that the government was working on changes in rules for appointments of senior officials.

The issue of hiring a professional has been repeatedly raised by experts who have been demanding that the ASI, which marks 150 years of its existence in 2011, should be headed by either a historian or and archaeologists and not bureaucrats that has been the norm so far.

The prime minister said he has identified some priority areas for the culture ministry, including the archival management and delay in publications of reports on excavations.

He said the ASI, which is a premier organisation for the archaeological researches, should improve its archival management, increase publications and publish its rich collection of photographs.

Now, foreigners will be charged Rs.250 to visit all World Heritage Sites, while domestic tourists will have to shell out Rs.10. A visit to national monuments will now cost foreigners Rs. 100, while Indians will have to pay just Rs.5.

But the government has kept the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, out of the World Heritage Sites list. Foreigners will be now charged Rs.750 to visit the Taj, while the tickets for domestic tourists will be just Rs. 20.

These tickets will be available at 250 outlets across the country.