Taj campaign income for maintenance of monuments

New Delhi, Jul 2 (UNI) The income generated through the nationwide campaign to include the Taj Mahal in the list of New Seven Wonders of the World will be spent on the maintenance of historical cultural sites and monuments in the country.

Mr Bharat Kapadia of IMCL (I Media Corp Ltd), a media company which has purchased the right to run the campaign in India, said he expected a substantial income from the campaign that had been tugging at the heartstrings of Indians.

''IMCL, owned by Bhaskar Group of Newspapers, has chalked out a Rs 103-crore plan to launch the campaign in the media,'' Mr Kapadia said, adding that Hindustan Lever had also cooperated in making a success of it.

He, however, refused to disclose the amount for the campaign in India, merely stating that it had been launched globally by an NGO, www.7newwonders.com.

''The Bhaskar Group of Company has bought the right to launch the campaign in India and the proceeds resulting from it would be spent on the upkeep of Indian monuments and historical sites,'' he said.

Mr Kapadia said IMCL would get ten per cent of the income accruing to the cellular companies from the campaign. ''We would spend our income on the preservation and conservation of monuments in the country.'' On July 7, the New 7 Wonders of the World are to be revealed, as elected by the people of the world in the first-ever global election, in a spectacular event in Lisbon, Portugal.

The campaign, being organized by a privately funded Switzerland- based organisation, is being touted as an event that will redefine the cultural legacies of the world.

The Taj, as per the latest voting trend, ranks among the top five in the list.

Mr Kapadia said the global campaign is not recognised by the UNESCO. ''It is an absolutely individual effort like the Nobel Prize or Oscar Awards,'' he pointed out, and appealed to Indians, both within the country and outside, to vote in favour of the majestic monument.

''We had also appealed to the government to actively participate in the campaign, but could not get the desired support. However, the support from the media has been overwhlemning,'' he said.

Culture and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni had earlier said that the government could not associate with the campaign as it was a private one and not recognised by the UNESCO.

UNI