Tamil Nadu Government seeks changes in Antiquities Act
T.S. Shankar
Tourism Department officials hold discussions with UNESCO team
Efforts of three District Collectors lauded
Team to select a heritage house in State as a model
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government will soon write to the Centre impressing upon the urgent need to make amendments to the Antiquities Act to protect heritage sites in the State. This was a major outcome of discussions State Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan and his department officials had with a UNESCO team, which called on Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy, at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Tourism and Culture Secretary T.S. Sridhar and Director of Tourism and the Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) M. Rajaram were present.
Giving details of the deliberations of the meeting, a State Tourism Department official said that the UNESCO team was appreciative of the efforts of the Tourism department and lauded the efforts of the Collectors of Sivaganga, Pudukottai and Thanjavur in protecting and promoting heritage tourism.
Mr. Rajaram, who made a presentation on history, heritage and culture on a trip from Chennai to Kanyakumari to the UNESCO team, said that the team expressed its intention to select a heritage house in Tamil Nadu as a model and make it available to UNESCO for upgrading.
The UNESCO team also met Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy and Information Minister Parithi Elamvazhuthi. Mr. Ponmudy told the UNESCO team that there were several heritage houses at Karaikudi and other tourist spots where cultural activities could be arranged, especially in the evenings.
The meeting was attended by Yuves Dauge, Senator of the French Republic; Bernard Valette, Member, UNESCO team; Bernard Dragon of Architectural and Heritage Safeguard; Nicole Bolomay, Programme Specialist (Culture), Minja Yang, Director and UNESCO Representative, and Pascal Meyer, Director International Cooperation Department.
Ms. Nicole agreed to provide a conservationist, an architect for one year for improving the heritage sites.
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