Centre to revamp key monuments after Red Fort success

After successfully launching the light and sound show at the Red Fort, the Centre is now revamping its ‘Monument Mitra’ scheme and will seek investments from the corporate sector to spruce up amenities at some of India’s key monuments. This includes monuments like Hampi, Humayun’s Tomb, Golkonda Fort, Purana Qila, Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Kangra Fort, and Mandu, among others.

Speaking to reporters, Govind Mohan, secretary at the union ministry of culture said that the scheme, which was earlier run by the tourism ministry, will be relaunched by the Archaeological Survey of India. He added that in the first phase of the revamped scheme, the Centre will try to invite investment from the corporate sector to spruce up over 500 of the 3,700 monuments that come under the ambit of the ASI. This will soon be scaled up to 1000 monuments, he added.

Sprucing up includes projection mapping, lighting up the monument aesthetically, and facilities like toilets, etc. The Dalmia Group, which had taken over the Red Fort, had spent upwards of Rs 100 crore in revamping the Mughal-era edifice from its CSR funds. “The Centre has made it clear that the companies cannot earn any profits from these monuments, but the recurring costs are part of the financial calculations,” he said.

The Red Fort sound and light show, though spectacular, had invited criticisms from its ticket costs – Rs 500 for an ordinary ticket and Rs 1500 for a VIP one. Earlier attempts to hand over monuments like the Taj Mahal had also invited the ire of the Opposition. Officials, however, were tight-lipped about whether the Taj Mahal will be part of this current effort. Officials also said that companies like Tata, Infosys, Yatra and Jindal have indicated interest.

The government also said that, as part of its own efforts, they are trying to build a platform where monuments which have currently been devastated by a certain amount of ruin, will be reconstructed digitally which can then be witnessed by tourists via AR and VR. On Wednesday, a team which had done a similar reconstruction of the site at Hiroshima and Nagasaki gave a presentation to the ministry. The government plans to reconstruct Nalanda before the invasion of Khilji, Hampi, Rakhigarhi and Dholavira sites said officials.