Art & Culture / Heritage Conservation · 4 Aug 2026

AMASR Act 1958 Humayun's Tomb

With reference to the recent IIT Kanpur-IIT Roorkee study on Humayun's Tomb, consider the following statements:

  1. The study found that the black crust forming on the monument's sandstone surfaces is caused primarily by calcium originating from within the sandstone itself.
  2. Humayun's Tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site before the Taj Trapezium Zone regulatory framework, which followed the Supreme Court's directions in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, was established.
  3. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958 was designed with statutory provisions specifically for periodic atmospheric chemistry monitoring of protected monuments.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A1 only
B2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1 and 3 only
This question is based on: Humayun's Tomb Is Not Being Encroached Upon. It Is Being Dissolved.
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 4 Aug 2026
About this question

Why in news

A joint IIT Kanpur-IIT Roorkee laboratory study confirmed that Delhi's air pollution is chemically altering Humayun's Tomb's sandstone through gypsum crust formation, exposing gaps in India's monument-protection law.

Why for UPSC

UPSC's "which statements correct" format often pairs a factual trap (source of a chemical/material) with a chronology trap and a scope-of-law trap, testing whether aspirants read each statement's specific claim carefully rather than the general theme.

Prelims summary

The Humayun's Tomb black crust is formed by pollutant sulphur/nitrogen compounds reacting with externally-sourced road-dust calcium. The monument was UNESCO-listed in 1993, before the TTZ (1996). The AMASR Act, 1958 has no built-in mechanism for atmospheric/chemical monitoring.

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