Uttarakhand: Kumaon Commissioner serious over termites eating away British era maps, directs District Magistrates to preserve them

Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat directed the officials to preserve British-era maps and other historical documents. While earlier the British-era map of the lake city of Nainital of the year 1895 was damaged due to termites, which has been prepared again. After which the Kumaon Commissioner has started the initiative to digitize and preserve all the maps.

Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, during a meeting at his camp office in Haldwani, directed to preserve the British-era maps and other historical documents available in the Kumaon division. The Kumaon Commissioner said that these maps are not only historical heritage, but also provide useful evidence for urban planning, land ownership, boundary demarcation and development works. He directed the concerned departments to preserve such documents in digital medium, so that their long-term use and preservation can be ensured.

During this, Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat also said that many old maps have been gathering dust in the archives of the tehsil, municipality and forest department for years. Instructions to all the District Magistrates to prepare a list of British era maps and documents in their respective districts and send it to the government. During this, he said that the original map of Nainital city of the British era of the year 1895, which was damaged due to termites, has been prepared again.

He said that this effort is not only important in the direction of preserving cultural and historical heritage, but it will also promote research, education and understanding of local history. Such documents can also prove useful in educational and administrative work in future.