Bhubaneswar: A fresh construction controversy at the protected Udayagiri Buddhist archaeological site in Jajpur has raised concerns over the protection of the heritage landscape that forms part of Odisha’s proposed UNESCO World Heritage nomination.Construction of a park by a private body had been underway in the prohibited area of Udayagiri complex since earlier this year. The work has now been stopped by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which recently lodged a police complaint against those involved for alleged violation of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958, under which the site is protected. The National Monuments Authority (NMA) and ASI have also started an inquiry into the alleged encroachment.Superintending Archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley said the work had been completely stopped and efforts were being made to ensure that the prohibited and protected areas of the site were not encroached upon in any manner. “Although there are encroachments around the site, this construction was coming up right within the prohibited area. It is a violation of Rule 20 of the AMASR Act,” he said.Under Sections 20 and 20A of the AMASR Act, a uniform 100-metre prohibited area and an additional 200-metre regulated area are established around centrally protected monuments.The development assumes significance as Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri have been submitted by India to UNESCO as a serial nomination for World Heritage status. The three Buddhist complexes were added to India’s UNESCO Tentative List in Dec last year. UNESCO’s nomination document describes them as an inter-connected cultural landscape reflecting the evolution of Buddhist traditions from Theravada to Mahayana and Vajrayana. It also states that all three sites are protected under the AMASR Act and managed by ASI.“The Centre will take up the nomination of the Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri complex in 2029-30. If encroachments in and around these sites are not removed, the state will lose its chance of getting the complex registered as a World Heritage Site. Besides, this complex has been preserved by the ASI in its original form. There is no development work within the prohibited and regulated areas that can change the character of this important site,” Chauley said.Archaeology experts said the latest controversy has brought into focus the challenge of protecting the wider heritage landscape. Officials had earlier flagged illegal construction, encroachment and quarrying around Udayagiri and Ratnagiri. At Udayagiri, this included the construction of a park and an electricity department office within the prohibited zone.Meanwhile, a PIL on the alleged illegal construction at the site is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Orissa High Court on Thursday. The petition has been filed by a local resident, Prakash Nayak.