UPA too did it with 5 monuments: Alphons

Corporate group Bharat Dalmia’s “adoption” of the historic monument Red Fort under the NDA’s ‘Adopt a heritage’ scheme may have stirred a controversy but this is not the first time that private players have participated in cultural initiatives in the country.

In fact, pointed out Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons, while the Congress has been shouting from the rooftops over handing the Red Fort maintenance job to a corporate, the UPA Government led by it had itself gone ahead to hand over the restoration and maintenance task of at least five monuments to a foreign agency ie Agha Khan Trust.

Talking to The Pioneer on Tuesday, he said: “The Congress, which has been creating ruckus over the handing over the maintenance to the corporate had during its tenure asked the Agha Khan Trust to maintain Humayun’s Tomb besides a few others.

“Not only this, under its (UPA’s) National Culture Fund, the then Government had reached out to many corporate for preservation and conservation of heritage monuments,” he said, citing the case of corporate giant Indian Hotels Company that was entrusted with the heritage activities of  Taj Mahal , and Apeejay Group of Hotels for Jantar Mantar through their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). (see box)

The National Cultural Fund (NCF) was established by the Ministry of Culture in 1996 as a trust under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890. NCF’s primary mandate is to establish and nurture public private partnerships (PPP) in the protection and conservation of India’s heritage.

Stressing that private public partnership mode can help  ensure basic amenities and attract tourists to monuments, Alphons said that many heritage spots are in a bad shape. “ We all know many monuments are in a shabby state. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) cannot do all the job. After all India Inc too has some responsibilities towards the heritage of the country,” the Minister said.

“As also has been asserted by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, PPPs are a necessity of the times we live in to ensure the survival of cultural heritage — both tangible and intangible,” he pointed out.

Soon after the Dalmia Group had signed an MoU with the Government for maintenance of the Red Fort recently, Opposition parties including Congress had hit out at the Modi dispensation.

Alphons said that while under the NCF, UPA had doled out money to the agencies like Agha Khan Trust, in our scheme it is the corporates which is putting in money for its maintenance.

“In lieu, they will be promoting their brand, and the venues will be decided by the ASI. “In true sense, it is a win-win situation for both tourists and the company. While the corporate will get publicity, we will have more footfall because of the best tourists amenities at the sites,” the Minister added.