Uniform entry fees to ASI monuments for SAARC, BIMSTEC visitors

New Delhi, July 18 (UNI) Visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries will be charged the same entry fees to the ASI's ticketed monuments as is charged from Indian citizens.

Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni said this had been done in acknowledgement of the common heritage between India and its neighbouring countries and to promote regional solidarity.

Announcing this at a Consultative Committee meeting of Parliament attached to her ministries here last evening, she said that although the debate on charging a uniform entry fees from other foreign visitors was still on, there was a strong point in continuing with the present differential rate of tickets because of a variety of reasons.

BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand-Economic Cooperation.

Giving details of Plan expenditure on restoration and maintenance of monuments, the minister informed the Committee members that the Eleventh Five-Year Plan proposals, amounting to Rs.

933 crores, were more than three times as compared to those of the Tenth Plan.

A substantial amount of these allocations will be spent on making monuments more attractive by programmes such as 'Light and Sound' shows at various World Heritage Sites, establishment of tourist facilities and better signage.

The minister said additionalities to the budgetary amounts were expected through contributions from business houses and other non-Government agencies to the National Culture Fund (NCF).

Underscoring the need for a more focussed implementation of the NCF programmes, she invited the MPs to augment this effort by identifying critical projects within their own constituencies and committing some funds under the MPLAD Scheme.

''Such contributions have now been included under the MPLAD Scheme,'' she pointed out.

Several MPs raised the issue relating to encroachments around national monuments. The issue relating to 100 metres of prohibited area around protected monuments and 200 metres of regulated area beyond that also came up for discussion.

Ms Soni clarified that although the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was keen to have encroachments removed at all places, it was constrained by its dependence on state governments for actual removal.

Senior officials from the Ministries of Culture and Tourism and ASI, Culture Secretary Badal K Das, Tourism Secretary Christy Fernandez and Ms Anshu Vaish, DG (ASI), were also present.

UNI