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Joining hands for the marvel in marble

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) president Venugopal N. Dhoot has requested industrialists to vote for inclusion of the Taj Mahal in the upcoming new list of “Seven Wonders of the World” and mooted establishment of a “Heritage Fund” for maintenance of historical monuments.

Mr. Dhoot said the Taj Mahal’s inclusion in the Seven Wonders list would increase the daily tourist arrivals in Agra from the present 12,000 to a projected 25,000 and urged more than 2 lakh members of India Incorporated to vote for the inclusion by sending an SMS to a Switzerland-based organisation “New Seven Wonders Society”. This society is proposing to come out with a new list of man-made architectural wonders.

Calling public attention to the sense of aesthetic perfection embodied by the Taj Mahal, Mr. Dhoot said the monument’s inclusion would not only add to the pride of Indians but also be a means of paying respect to the designers and builders of this ethereal mausoleum.

According to the ASSOCHAM president, the proposed Heritage Fund would have a corpus of Rs.10,000 crore, half of which would be contributed by India Inc. The remaining funding should come from the Government, he added. The fund would be under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and monitored by the Central Government, with a representative from each State Government.

ASSOCHAM has also called for instituting a “Single Window” method in matters of conserving heritage sites. The Association felt that the best way to maintain such sites and monuments was to put them up for adoption by credible corporate houses who should in return be allowed to put up their logos on the outskirts of the sites. The adoptee companies, though, should not be allowed to conduct profiteering and commercial activities.

Mr. Dhoot recalled that there had been a similar offer by a public sector company about five years ago that volunteered to look after the upkeep of certain heritage sites in return for being allowed to set up petrol outlets on the outskirts. The proposal had not yet been given an all-clear by the ASI. Such proposals should be reconsidered as they would be instrumental in the upkeep of derelict monuments.

-- Kunal Diwan

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