ASI’s decision to set up Tamil Epigraph office welcomed

 CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Saturday welcomed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) decision to change the ASI’s Southern Region Deputy Superintendent office into Tamil Epigraph Deputy Superintendent office as it would help the scholars and researchers to access unpublished inscriptions.

In a statement, he urged the union government to bring all the Tamil inscriptions and related documents kept at Mysore Central Archaeological Department office to the Chennai office and to make all necessary arrangements including appointment of adequate staff for the Chennai office to preserve and maintain the inscriptions.

“Tamil inscriptions, manuscripts and archaeological symbols were all unmaintained and unprinted and preserved by the Mysore Central Archaeological Office, making them unusable by Tamil researchers and activists. Tamil scholars and journalists, including CPM, have repeatedly called for its protection and digitization. It is to note that Madras HC had already passed an appropriate order to preserve the Tamil inscriptions,” he said.

With the setting up of the Tamil Inscription Deputy Superintendent office in the city, he said that Tamil scholars and researchers would be able to access the documents in a timely manner.