A case for public-private partnership in restoring India’s heritage structures. An editorial by Times of India:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is meant to look after India’s heritage structures and monuments. But instead it is going about disfiguring heritage sites. The latest instance of ASI’s ham-handedness was the proposed construction of a cement portico in front of one of the caves at Ajanta. Luckily, the monstrosity was halted after protests by conservationists. This could happen because there are strict guidelines that have to be followed in any conservation work at Ajanta, which has been declared a Unesco world heritage site.
However, there are several other heritage sites that haven’t been so fortunate. There are any number of instances where ASI has engaged in conservation work without paying attention to the original design and materials used. Worse, the conservation work has sometimes ended up weakening structures that have survived for centuries. It is obvious that ASI, which operates like any other government organisation, is not the best outfit to preserve our heritage monuments.
We need private sector participation if India’s heritage structures are to be maintained and, more importantly, promoted. There has been some movement in this direction. The ASI has signed a deal with the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to restore the monuments inside the Lodhi Garden in New Delhi. The agreement was a result of changes made in the structure of the National Culture Fund, which was set up to encourage corporate funding of restoration projects.
Whereas earlier companies could only contribute to the fund, now they can directly hire qualified people to do restoration work. The restoration work at Humayun’s Tomb – a world heritage site – in Delhi is another example of private and public sector partnership. The $650,000 restoration project undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in collaboration with the ASI, has brought about a remarkable change in the environs of the tomb. For the
first time in 400 years, water has begun flowing through the sandstone channels in the garden surrounding the tomb.
The roping in of private companies and philanthropic bodies to assist in conserving India’s heritage was long overdue. The next step could be an ‘adopt your monument’ scheme where private players can take care of heritage structures and also have a stake in the profits made from visitors’ fees. The private stakeholders should also be allowed to stage shows and run restaurants so long as they do not disturb the integrity of the monument. There are some 6,000 or so monuments under ASI’s care. A few hundred could easily be shortlisted for private adoption.
Ismailimail 