Red Fort adoption row: The long list of Monument Mitras

The Red Fort is merely one of the 90-odd tourist attractions in India that is up for corporate adoption. Here is the full list of monuments and their prospective ‘Mitra’.

April 30, 2018 05:32 pm | Updated 05:32 pm IST

A view of historic Red Fort in Old Delhi area.

A view of historic Red Fort in Old Delhi area.

The adoption of the iconic Red Fort by the private entity Dalmia Bharat under the Centre’s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Project has kicked up a storm with many in the Opposition terming it as an attack on the idea of India and comparing it to pawning off of the family jewels.

The Dalmia Group was chosen over InterGlobe Foundation, the parent company of IndiGo Airlines, and the GMR group, who had also expressed interest in adopting the ‘Laal Quila’. On April 24, the Group announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which it committed Rs. 25 crore over a five-year-period for the upkeep of the national treasure.

 

The ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project, brainchild of Ministry of Tourism, along with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India, was launched on World Tourism Day 2017 by President Ram Nath Kovind. It aims to develop the monuments, heritage and tourist sites across India by inviting corporate entities, public sector companies or individuals to ‘adopt’ them for a period of five years.

In a report tabled on March 6, 2018, a parliamentary committee headed by Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said that the “Adopt a Heritage is a welcome step on the part of the Ministry of Tourism,” and recommended that “under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) major corporate may be compelled to adopt heritage sites.”

Not the first

Red Fort is hardly the first monument to be handed over to a ‘Monument Mitra’, a term coined for entity partnering with the government under this scheme.

Earlier in January 2018, an MoU was signed with Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATAOI) and State of Jammu & Kashmir for two natural sites - Mt Stok Kangri trek route in Laddakh, Jammu and Kashmir and the Gangotri Temple Area & Trail to Gaumukh in Uttarakhand. In the current MoU too, the Dalmia Bharat is set to take care of the Gandikota fort in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh as well.

Making a Mitr

The process of monument adoption begins with the interested entity selecting any of the numerous featured heritage sites according to the guidelines. The monuments are separated into three categories - Green, Blue and Orange - depending on tourist footfall and visibility. Iconic sites like the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Konark Temple and Red Fort, among others, are categorized as ‘Green’ while Purana Quila and Jantar Mantar fall in the ‘Blue’ category. The Sanchi Stupa and Tipu Palace are a few of the popular sites in the ‘Orange’ category. Entities are encouraged to adopt from the Blue and Orange category, or a mix of the three - adoption of only ‘Green’ category monuments is not permitted.

In the past seven months, Letters of Intent were handed over to 33 agencies for 98 monuments - including the Jantar Mantar, Konark Sun Temple and the Ajanta Caves - in four phases.

Here is the full list of companies shortlisted to be ‘Monument Mitras’. This includes companies from the hospitality industry, travel industry and banking industry and even an International school!

PHASE I

Jantar Mantar, Delhi - SBI Foundation

Sun Temple, Konark - TK International Limited

Raja Rani Temple, Bhubaneshwar - TK International Limited

Ratnagiri Monuments, Jajpur, Odisha - TK International Limited

Hampi, Karnataka - Yatra Online Pvt. Limited

Leh Palace, Jammu & Kashmir - Yatra Online Pvt. Limited

Qutub Minar, Delhi - Yatra Online Pvt. Limited

Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra - Yatra Online Pvt. Limited

Mattancherry Palace Museum, Kochi - Travel Corporation of India Ltd

Safdarjung Tomb, Delhi - Travel Corporation of India Ltd

Gangotri Temple Area and Trail to Gaumukh - Adventure Tour Operator Association of India

Mt. StokKangri, Laddakh, Jammu and Kashmir - Adventure Tour Operator Association of India

Agrasen ki Baoli, Delhi - Special Holidays Travel Pvt. Ltd. (With) Rotary Club of Delhi

Purana Quila, Delhi - NBCC

PHASE II

Corridor from Taj Mahal to Red Fort Agra and surrounding area - GMR Sports Private Limited

Red Fort, Agra - GMR Sports Private Limited

Red Fort, Delhi - GMR Sports Private Limited

Itimad-Ud-Daula, Agra - GMR Sports Private Limited

Kotla Feroz Shah, Delhi - GMR Sports Private Limited

Golconda Fort, Hyderabad - GMR Sports Private Limited

Rock Cut Hindu Temple, Guntur - GMR Sports Private Limited

Ramappa Temple, Jayshankar Bhupalpally, Telengana - GMR Sports Private Limited

Khajuraho Temples, Khajuraho - GMR Sports Private Limited

Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Jaigarh Fort, Undheri, Maharashtra - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Kolaba Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Sasoon Docks, Mumbai - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Old Goa Church Cluster, Panjim, Goa - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Aguada Fort and Light House, Panjim, Goa - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Morjim Beach, Goa - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Chapora Fort, Goa - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Cabo De Rama Fort, South Goa - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Bekal Fort, Kerala - Drishti Lifesaving Private Ltd

Char Minar, Hyderabad - ITC Hotels

Rock Cut Hindu Temple, Undavalli, Guntur - ITC Hotels

Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha - Dalmia Bharat

Red Fort, Delhi - Dalmia Bharat

Udayagiri & Khandagiri Sites, Bhubneshwar, Orissa - Dalmia Bharat

Gandikota Fort, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh - Dalmia Bharat

Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur, Karnataka - Dalmia Bharat

Kotla Feroz Shah, Delhi - Dalmia Bharat

Bio Diversity Park, Vasant Kunj, De - Archer & Angel

Bhuli Bhatiyari, Karol Bagh, Delhi - Sanjay Chabra

Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan - I Love Foundation

Elephanta Caves, Mumbai - Mahesh Enterprise & India Infra

Adham Khan Tomb, Delhi - Bluebells School International

PHASE III

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, Bihar - YES Bank

Sanchi Stupa and group of monuments, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh - YES Bank

Ancient ruins of Nalanda, Bihar - YES Bank

Amer fort, Jaipur - V-Resorts

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur - V-Resorts

Kumbhalgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh - V-Resorts

Surajkund, Faridabad - V-Resorts

Khan-I-Kahan, Delhi - V-Resorts

Tipu Palace, Bangaluru - V-Resorts

Basilica Bom Jesus, Goa - V-Resorts

Humanyu Tomb’s Complex - Agha Khan Trust for Culture

Qutub Shahi Tombs, Golconda, Hyderabad (also Swadesh Darshan site) - Agha Khan Trust for Culture

Red Fort, Delhi - InterGlobe Foundation

Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Delhi - InterGlobe Foundation

Jantar Mantar, Delhi - Apeejay Park Hotels

Kaziranga National Park, Assam - JTI Group

Sibsagar Monuments (Assam): Rang Ghar, Kareng Ghar, Shiva Daul - JTI Group

Moth Ki Masjid, Delhi - Caper Travel Company

Azim Khan Tomb, Lado Sarai, Delhi - Caper Travel Company

Tomb of Jamali Kamali & Mosque, Mehrauli, Delhi - Caper Travel Company

Baoli in the vicinity of Jamali Kamali, Mehrauli, Delhi - Caper Travel Company

Mahabalipuram Temples, Tamil Nadu - India Association of Tour Operators (IATO)

Ellora caves, Aurangabad - India Association of Tour Operators (IATO)

PHASE IV

Lotus Mahal, Hampi, Karnataka - Orange County Resorts & Hotel

Elephant Stables, Hampi, Karnataka - Orange County Resorts & Hotel

Ancient Pathway revival from Virupaksha Temple to Vitthala Temple, Hampi, Karnataka - Heritage Resorts, Hampi

Krishna Temple (behind Baravalinga), Hampi, Karnataka - Heritage Resorts, Hampi

Ramappa Temple, Palampet, Telangana - Kakatiya Heritage Trust

Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh - ITC Limited and GMR Sports Pvt. Ltd

Agha Khan Palace, Pune, Maharashtra - Aga Khan Trust for Culture (An Agency of the Aga Khan Development Network )

Chittorgarh Fort, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan - The Padmini Haveli

Deveriya Mahadev And Ruins Of Ancient Tambawati Nagri, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan - The Padmini Haveli

Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi - Resbird Technologies Pvt. Ltd

Gol Gumbad, Lodhi Road Flyover - Resbird Technologies Pvt. Ltd

Bara Lao Ka Gumbad and Baradari , Vasant Vihar - Resbird Technologies Pvt. Ltd

Trails around Gaumukh Vashistha Ashram, Mount Abu, Rajasthan - Climbing World

Tigar Path, Mount Abu, Rajasthan - Climbing World

Bailey’s Walk including Toad Rock, Mount Abu Rajasthan - Climbing World

Trails around Arbuda Devi & Shanti Shikhar, Mount Abu Rajasthan - Climbing World

Trails around Dilwara Temple, Mount Abu Rajasthan - Climbing World

Trails from Gurushikhar to Shergaon, Mount Abu Rajasthan - Climbing World

Basic Field: A unique reserved location for Rock Climbing near Nakki Lake, Mount Abu, Rajasthan - Climbing World

Kumbhalgarh Fort Wall, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan - Climbing World

Ram Tekri Path, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan - Climbing World

Tirthankar Trail, Across Jain Temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan - Climbing World

The complete list of sites up for adoption under the four phases is available here .

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