Dalmia Bharat adopts Red Fort

Team L&M

It was on World Tourism Day (September 27) last year that the President of India launched “Adopt A Heritage Scheme” (Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan project) wherein private and public sector companies as also corporate individuals were invited to adopt heritage sites and to take up responsibility for making them and promote sustainable tourism through conservation and development under their Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

And today, Dalmia Bharat Limited became the first corporate to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Tourism to adopt Red Fort under the project. With an estimated amount of around Rs 5 crore per year, Dalmia Bharat Limited has joined “Monument Mitras” from other private sector companies to look after the operations and the maintenance of this heritage site for the next five years.

The MoU was signed in the presence of chief guest KJ Alphons, Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) and other senior officials of Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The first-of-its-kind adoption enables Dalmia Bharat to construct, landscape, illuminate and maintain activities related to provision and development of tourist amenities. This includes various basic and advanced amenities such as public conveniences, clean drinking water, cleanliness of the monument, accessibility for all, signage, cloakroom facilities, illumination and night viewing, surveillance system, tourist facilitation cum interpretation centre among others.

In addition to this, Dalmia Bharat will introduce other key amenities for the visitors like app-based multilingual audio guide, digital interactive kiosk, digital (LED) screening, free wi-fi and cafetaria along with souvenir shop which will help in promoting local art and craftsmanship.

Keeping in mind easy accessibility to the differently-abled visitors, there will be construction of ramps and differently-abled friendly toilets. Facilities like wheelchair availability, battery-operated vehicles, Braille signages are some of the key addition which will make Red Fort a barrier-free monument.

The use of advanced surveillance system like PTZ-based CCTV cameras will be installed as permissible guidelines according to ASI. Dalmia Bharat will also assist in controlling the advanced tourist flow management system linked with carrying capacity of the monuments including light and sound shows with regular cultural shows and facilitation of night visits to the monuments.