BHUBANESWAR - After reports of a stone slab falling from the world-renowned Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Monday rejected the report as “baseless” and “fabricated”.

The ASI made the statement after a team visited the 13th century heritage monument.

A.K. Patel, superintending archaeologist of ASI, said: “It is a baseless report. I have visited the temple and inspected the monument. It is all fabricated.”

However, local activists working in the area have squarely blamed the ASI saying the organisation, which has undertaken the conservation work, is “doing a shoddy job” leading to the “degradation of the monument”.

“The ASI which has undertaken the preservation work is lackadaisical in its job. The preservation work is being undertaken by unskilled people aggravating the degradation of the monument instead of saving it,” said A.N. Ansari, president of a local NGO, Young India, working in the area.

When Patel was asked about photographs of the stone that slipped from the Sun temple, he maintained that the stone is safely in place.

“The stone reported to have slipped remains firm in its place. I have inspected the place. Three-fourths of the stone remains inside and it is not hanging precariously as reported,” Patel said.

But the Konark Surakhya Samiti (save Konark committee) said that falling down of stones from the 13th century monument had turned “into a regular feature”.

“The slipping of stones from the monument has become a regular feature. Earlier, in June a big slab had slipped. At the time too, the ASI denied it. The monument is degenerating,” said Surendranath Mishra, convener of Konark Surakhya Samiti, which is working for preservation of the monument.

The fresh reports of stones falling from the temple have left the local people seething in anger.

“During the last rainy season, the monument remained submerged in knee-deep water. That time too, the ASI did not take care. The stones are falling from the monument regularly and the ASI is overlooking it. If it continues, the Sun Temple would no longer remain at this place,” said R.N. Bahinipati, a local.