DALMIA Group Wins Contract For Maintence Of Red Fort: WB CM Questions Justification

Historic Red, India’s capital under the Mughal till the Britishers took over the country, become the first monument which has been adopted by the Dalmia Bharat, a corporate house, for maintence and improving facilities for five years. The company has signed an MOU with The Archaeological Survey of India and Ministry of Tourism under the Government’s “Adopt a Heritage” project,” the company has tweeted. The Dalmia Bharat group has bagged the maintenance contract for Rs 25 crore, Times Now reported. Built between 12 May 1639 – 6 April 1648 by Architect Utstad Ahmad Lahori for the 5th Mughal Emperor Shajahan. He moved his capital there from Agra. Red Fort   is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year on the Independence Day of India, the incumbent Prime Minister hoists the Indian’s tricolour flag at the main gate of the fort and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts since August 15, 1947.The Red Fort was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal dynasty for nearly 200 years until 1856. It is located in the center of Delhi and houses a number of museums. Besides accommodating    emperors and their kin, it was the ceremonial and political centre of the Mughal state and the setting for events critically impacting the region. The 70 years old Dalmia group has overtaken IndiGo and the infrastructural giant GMR group in winning the prestigious contract. Under the adoption scheme, GOI has offered more than 90 monuments. “We have to start work within 30 days and have to own it for five years initially. Then the contract can be extended on mutually agreeable terms. It will help us integrate the Dalmia brand with India. This project will have customer centricity as the visitors will be our customers. We want more people from Delhi and NCR to come here regularly rather than just one-time tourists. We want more people from Delhi and NCR to come here regularly rather than just one-time tourists. Just look at some of the castles in Europe which are a fraction of the Red Fort’s size but are so meticulously maintained. We will develop the monument on similar lines and it will be among the world’s best,” said Mahendra Singhi,  group CEO for Dalmia Bharat Cement, reports   Business Standard. Meanwhile, the Dalmia Bharat group has started brainstorming on how it intends to develop the Red Fort over the next few months. It will start work on May 23 before handing it over temporarily to security agencies in July as sanitisation measures kick in for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last Independence Day speech of his present tenure. The Dalmia Bharat group’s top officials said they have plans to complete night illumination before handing it over temporarily for the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address. Work on other aspects of the contract would resume in full swing after that. Among other things, the group plans to install tactile flooring for the physically challenged and signage that depicts the monument’s history. It also plans to use the Red Fort for various events such as music concerts and other cultural activities to promote greater tourist interest in the monument. As the corporate house moves forward with its planned works, it would also launch various marketing and advertising activities to popularise the revamped Red Fort among the people. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee e and Congress Party have condemned the move to privatise the heritage site.