Dept float rules in quest of GOLD, old letters,
Blinded by the dazzle of yet to be seen treasures, the department forgot all procedural requirements and claiming a right to investigate reports of buried treasure, soon pressed into action a mechanical excavator in its haste to get at the booty. The fact that the Act permits mere exploration was ignored and large-scale excavations continued for quite some time before it dawned on the overzealous officials that they were themselves guilty of violating the law. Hastily geo-technical experts were pressed into action in a belated attempt to substantiate the claim that the department had undertaken nothing more than an 'exploration'.
Anyone even remotely familiar with the history of Hyderabad will testify to the improbability of finding the Nizam's treasure within Wanaparthy property or of Samasthan treasure being interred anywhere in the city. But then the department, abandoning reason and logic has chosen to believe the 'prominent citizens', honorable gentlemen who resolutely resisted the lure of 'saint seducing gold' for four long years, keeping its discovery a closely guarded secret even from the government and its designated authority!
Gold may yet be found in the vicinity of Naubat Pahad, a discovery having become imperative for the department to vindicate its stand and silence detractors who are raising embarrassing questions about the futile 'wild goose chase'. What remains to be seen is if the feat can be accomplished without bringing down the precariously positioned rock formation or disrupting the academic schedule of a highly regarded educational institution. In conclusion one can but hope that the archaeology department performs its designated tasks of protection and preservation of our cultural assets with equal drive and enthusiasm - a duty which it has long neglected.
OLD Letters in British India
