A whopping ₹41 crore would be spent on construction of an interpretation centre — also known as visitor centre — at the Qutb Shahi tombs complex out of the ₹99.42 crore granted by the Central government to Telangana under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
The money is to be spent in the financial year 2016-2017 to develop earmarked places in the heritage circuit of the city. The identified circuit includes Qutb Shahi heritage park, Paigah tombs, Hayat Bakshi Begum masjid, and Raymond’s tomb.
The interpretation centre at the Qutb Shahi tombs would have galleries, restaurant, banquet, admin block, souvenir shop, AV room, lecture hall, and outdoor seating. Four battery operated buses are also part of the plan.
The project, which was in pipeline for some time, was approved on Tuesday during a meeting between Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Christina Z. Chongthu and Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, and Assistant Director General Bharathi Sharma.
While ₹99.42 crore was the projected cost of the programme, the Qutb Shahi heritage park gets a lion’s share of ₹82.43 crore, while Paigah tombs would be developed at a cost of ₹4.10 crore, Hayat Bakshi Begum masjid at ₹2.18 crore, and Raymond’s tomb at ₹4.2 crore. The plan is aimed at improving the experience of the tourists who visit these monuments.
