Published on : Thursday, May 3, 2018
Incidentally, the project plans to entrust heritage sites or monuments and other tourist sites to private/public sector companies and individuals for the development of tourist amenities. In Assam, a private firm has applied for developing tourist amenities in Kaziranga National Park, which spreads over Golaghat and Nagaon districts, and Kareng Ghar, Rangghar and Siva Doul in Sivasagar.
“The scheme has been misunderstood. An atmosphere has been created as if these monuments have been handed over to private firms. I would like to clarify that no firm will be allowed to do anything in the core areas. For example, the building of a monument is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and a firm does not have the expertise for it. They will not be allowed to do anything on the building,” he said.
“The firms will develop tourist amenities like toilets, parking areas and eateries.
Private/public sector firms did develop such tourist amenities earlier in tourist interest places under their corporate social responsibility. But now the firms will also be responsible for their operation and maintenance. As a benefit, they will be allowed to advertise in those areas,” Baruah said.
“As of now, no monument has been handed over to any firm. We have come to know that only one firm has so far submitted its expression of interests to work in Kaziranga National Park and in some historical monuments in Sivasagar,” he added.
AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjee told reporters in Tinsukia, “We want to know whether the government is capable of preserving and maintaining our historical monuments as it plans to lease these to private players.”
Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia said handing over the task of maintaining and developing tourism infrastructure of three historical monuments to a private firm was a part of a ploy by the BJP to destroy Assamese identity by targeting its self-respect, consciousness and pride.
Tags: Assam Tourism