India, Aug. 10 -- New Delhi: While the Gumti of Shaikh Ali, a 500-year-old Lodhi-era tomb near the main Defence Colony Market, has been restored following the intervention of the Supreme Court, another set of Lodhi era tombs in Zamrudpur are crying out for help. A short walk from the neatly lined houses of Greater Kailash-I, the high-end designer boutiques and chic cafes of the N-Block market, the narrow, damp and congested lanes of Zamrudpur village tell a different tale-- one of unplanned growth subsuming the city's rich heritage and its layered past. During multiple spot checks in June and July, HT found these heritage structures, located in a maze of lanes, packed with garbage, doubling as informal dhalaos, used as stores and cattle sheds, and, in some cases, almost totally engulfed by the buildings around them. These tombs, which are Grade-1 heritage buildings as per the notification issued by the urban development ministry, were built by Zamrud Khan-- a powerful Afghan noble in the reign of Sikandar Lodhi in the late 15th century. He was given the jagir of Kanchan Serai for his personal use which he renamed Zamrudpur Greater Kailash-I was once agricultural land that gave rich Kharif yields. From both the villages -- Zamrudpur and Devli--the land of GK , spread over hundreds of acres, was owned by around 90 farmers. It was acquired by Centre under a large-scale land acquisition plan in 1955 and handed it over to DLF to carve out a colony. While the former agricultural fields became some of the most sought after addresses in the national capital, the clock turned backwards for the village which now resembles an urban slum with forgotten heritage. Taking a left turn from Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, one enters the maze of five to six-storey buildings in barely 5-10ft wide lanes dotted with garbage heaps and overhead mesh of wires. It directly leads to the badi chaupal. Take a right turn and close to Mankameshwar Shiv temple, lies the largest tomb of the village. Almost three stories high, the elegant domed building is almost touching the surrounding houses from three sides. Two private gates have been erected on both its sides, with flower pots bearing money plants decorating its arches. Inside, the tomb serves as a cattle shed. A cow and her calf tied inside rest along the feeding area near an 8-10ft high wall bisecting the tomb while the rest, under a bulb that lights up the giant Gumbad of the area serves as a dump for old furniture and cement bags. During the spot check, the owner of the cattle objected to pictures being taken. "This is our building and we have taken care of it for generations and we will continue to do it," the man, who refused to identify himself, said. In MCD records, it is a public building, and the responsibility for maintenance lies with the corporation. (MCD response) The Monument entry in 'Delhi: The Built Heritage' by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) states the building a Grade A--archaeological value. The tomb measures 8.35 sqm and on its North, South and East are recessed arches enclosing three arched openings which are now blocked. On the West, there are three Mehrab recesses while the high dome rises from an octagonal drum. Negotiate the maze and take a left from the Chaupal, and one enters a dark alley where balconies have covered the lane, leaving no natural light to touch the ground. On official records, a tomb exists nearby but google's geo-coordinates lead you nowhere. Take a flight of stairs and climb five stories to reach the roof and one can see the dome of another tomb-- completely eaten up by neighboring buildings with not an inch of space left between the structures, likely serving as another private space. The dome is used as a garbage dump by building dwellers--mostly on rent. Sheila Devi, who operates a local grocery shop nearby and has been a resident in the area over the last 30 years, said that she has seen the buildings grow around the tombs. "There are 5-6 such chhatris and gumbads but they are now in extremely poor state. Houses and grown and covered many of them but villagers have not demolished them," she argued. The third tomb is around 50m away-- in another lane branching from the access lane. Completely enclosed in a cavity made by five storey buildings with shoebox houses used as rented homes by dailywage workers. A tree trunk spirals around it and forms a canopy on top. The domed structure is being used for drying clothes for houses which hardly have access to air while its raised stone platform is full of garbage dumped by locals. The beautiful tomb, which still has some original character intact, measures 6.58sqm and dome is supported by 12 carved pillars of dressed stone. Dome springs from an octagon and is topped by lotus cresting. Anchal (who only goes by single name), a local resident, said that the gumbad serves as local address point. "For any delivery or post, we mention the gumbad but everyone uses it to dump their waste. It has been cleared a few times but garbage returns," she added. Md Jamshed, another local, said that if the gumbad was cleaned and restored it could act as common space in the area starved with any. "After hundreds of years of neglect, it is still beautiful," he remarked. During the spotcheck, HT found a fourth tomb which is now completely packed with garbage while its dome has been used as base by one of the buildings abutting it. It has almost been completely subsumed. These monuments were meticulously documented by Hasan Zafar, Assistant Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in his foundational 1916 work, Monuments of Delhi. (Independent comment, the petitioner in the Gumti case/Hisotorian) INTACH's compilation lists a fifth tomb near F96 but during the spot-check, we were unable to trace it. The compilation states that the tomb was illegally occupied and not accessible but it had 12 dressed stone pillars with lotus cresting on the dome. A senior MCD official said that the tomb could possibly have been demolished. "We surveyed some of these tombs in April for the ongoing SC case regarding monuments and three tombs were found in poor state with heavy encroachment, and the fourth one was relatively better. After assessing the required conservation, a budget will be demanded to restore them," the official added, but he did not comment on why even the basic clean up of tombs had not been carried out. (MCD official reaction, spokesperson) Om Prakash, a local resident and migrant from Bihar, said that migrant labourers like him stay in such hellish conditions to survive in the city. "A small room for Rs4-5,000 can be shared. During the day, I mostly stay out seeking work and need this room for sleeping. "Gumbads may have value, but our challenges are vastly different," he added. Zamrudpur faces a stark contrast between its past and present. Its agricultural land was used for some of Delhi's first planned modern enclaves. On the one hand, it is bereft of basic civic facilities while it hosts a rich collection of medieval tombs which are are being engulfed by unplanned urban growth. Perhaps, both its residents and the tombs need an intervention....