Severe construction restrictions lock INR 20 lakh crore worth of land around3,695 monuments | February 2026

What if some of India’s most valuable urban land were placed under an invisible dome, and we’re not allowed to use it? Sounds bad, but that is, in effect what India’s heritage protection regime has done. A 0–100 metre Prohibited Zone around centrally protected monuments bans all construction, while a 100–300 metre Regulated Zone allows development only with approval from the National Monuments Authority…..