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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