THE UTTAR Pradesh government, as part of its plan to revive heritage monuments and boost tourism, is undertaking transformation of historic forts and buildings into heritage hotels, cultural centres and museums under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. In the first phase, 11 such properties have been identified across the state.
Jaiveer Singh, State Minister for Tourism and Culture, told The Indian Express on Wednesday, “Just like forts in Rajasthan are developed into heritage properties, preserved and also become a good revenue generation source for the state, we are preparing to do the same for the forts in Uttar Pradesh as well. Uttar Pradesh has a lot of potential because we have some good heritage properties for which people have already started showing interest.”
Singh added, “There are 31 properties that have been identified by us across the state, out of which we have allotted four on PPP model and more are showing interest. So the idea is to accelerate revenue growth with the help of these properties and we are hopeful that they would help contribute to the economy of the Bundelkhand region of the state in particular as visitors to these properties would also boost the local vendors and business.”
Earlier this month, citing a suggestion made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway in 2022 to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to explore the potential of forts in Bundelkhand as tourism spots like it is done in several European countries, Adityanath wrote to the PM, seeking the transfer of five monuments, including four forts, to the Uttar Pradesh government for development and conservation. These five monuments are under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Ministry of Culture.
In his letter, Adityanath described Bundelkhand, which is known as the “land of ten rivers” and a region of sages, as the “heartland of India”. He stressed the need for revival of Bundelkhand’s ancient monuments and archaeological sites to bring the region into global focus.
In his letter, dated September 16, to PM Modi, the CM pointed out that during the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway, the PM “encouraged the preservation, promotion and development of the palaces, forts, and monuments in Bundelkhand, establishing them on the world map for tourism, and developing them.”
Adityanath added, “In response, the conservation, promotion and development of the monuments owned by the state government has been initiated. Consequently, the local residents of Bundelkhand will have access to livelihoods and its historical heritage will be properly preserved.”
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The letter mentions that a survey and study was conducted by the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University), Ahmedabad, which, in its report, selected 31 sites and presented a framework and action plan for their potential, conservation and development. The study noted that five of these 31 sites are under the ASI’s protection. These include Talbehat Fort (Lalitpur district), Kalinjar Fort (Banda), Madfa (Chitrakoot) and the steps of the ghat of Barua Sagar Jhansi.
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