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Sambhal Tunnel – Photo : Amar Ujala
The centuries-old stepwell found in Chandausi area of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh was inspected by the ASI survey team on Wednesday. Apart from this, the team of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also reached Ladam Sarai area of Sambhal. During excavation here, the administration has found an old well. The team also inspected this well. Excavation work is going on here by the Sambhal administration. The stepwell building found buried under debris and soil for years in Laxmanganj, a Muslim dominated locality in Chandausi, Sambhal, is now being revealed to the people, layer by layer. Excavation was carried out for the fourth day on Tuesday. 30 workers of the municipality were busy removing soil from the upper floor of the stepwell with shovels. By the time it gets dark, the thirteen stairs going inside the stepwell are clearly visible. Even on Wednesday, the work of removing soil from the stepwell is being done.
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Employees removing soil during digging of stepwell – Photo: Amar Ujala
Workers came with one JCB and three tractor trolleys
On Monday, when the cleaning work was started by removing the soil accumulated over the stepwell and from the corridor, some stairs were seen to go into the stepwell. However, the work was stopped at noon on Tuesday, the third day. On the fourth day, Tuesday, the municipal team reached the spot with one JCB and three tractor trolleys and 30 labourers.
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Excavation of stepwell in Chandausi – Photo: Amar Ujala
All the workers stood in a line from the corridor to the stairs of the stepwell and started removing the soil. The workers were taking out soil from the corridor and dumping it outside. The same JCB was filling the soil into the tractor-trolley. The work was stopped when it became dark around six in the evening. By then the thirteen stairs leading into the stepwell became clearly visible.
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Stairs seen in stepwell – Photo: Amar Ujala
Stepwell wall seen during excavation
Let us tell you that after finding the Banke Bihari temple in Mohalla Laxman Ganj, the workers of Sanatan Sevak Sangh organized the Sampoorna Samadhan Diwas in the tehsil on Saturday, claiming to renovate the Banke Bihari temple and having a stepwell in the vacant plot in the street at some distance from the temple. Application letter was given to DM Rajendra Pansia. On the orders of DM, in the afternoon of the same day, Tehsil and Municipality team along with ADM Judicial Satish Kushwaha reached the spot and started digging and the wall of the stepwell was visible.
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Excavation of stepwell in Sambhal – Photo: Amar Ujala
Team of 50 people engaged to reveal the secret of stepwell
A team of fifty people from the Municipal Council is working to reveal the secret of the stepwell. Jal Nigam’s JE Anuj Kumar said that 30 laborers are working under the supervision of two sanitary inspectors, a revenue inspector and a JE of the municipality to reveal the existence of the stepwell. One JCB and three tractor-trolleys have also been deployed.
