Create facilities near heritage sites: IBC chief

Bangalore, Aug 31 (UNI) To raise sufficient funds for maintenance of monuments and heritage sites, the state and local governments should create facilities for middle class tourists at such spots, Indian Buildings Congress Director General SA Chakrabarti said here today.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the IBC on 'Rehabilitation and Conservation of Heritage Sites', he said common tourists always felt a lack of facilities at heritage sites and tourist spots and creation of such a facility would be a win-win situation for both tourists and the state government departments maintaining the monuments.

''Rich tourists always find accommodation as they are ready to pay for it. However, common people suffer from lack of such a facility at heritage sites. This is one reason why we have failed to attract a large number of tourists to majority of such sites. If we work towards creating facilities of this class, it will lead to an increase in the income of tourism departments,'' he said.

Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh governments have begun working in this direction and others could follow suit. Using private homes in the vicinity of heritage sites and monuments for tourist use offered great potential for the tourism industry, he added.

Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who inaugurated the seminar, said the state was considered the cradle of historical places and needed better efforts to conserve them. ''Make use of the youth to conserve heritage sites by creating awareness in schools and forming heritage and cultural clubs. Partnership of youth will go a long way in maintaining and popularising heritage sites and monuments.'' Karnataka Tourism Secretary I M Vittala Murthy said the state department of archaeology and museums had protected about 750 monuments in the State. However, there were still 25,000 unprotected monuments which needed attention, he added.

The state had two World heritage sites at Hampi and Pattadakal and at least three more -- Bijapur, Halebid and Shravanabelagola -- deserved the tag. The government had declared Bidar, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Kittur, Mysore and Srirangapatnam as heritage sites and taken steps to develop them.

The problem of maintaining and developing heritage sites was mainly due to shortage of funds and trained staff. Rapid urbanisation was causing destruction of monuments and there was a need to introduce a special legislation as existing laws were not effective, Mr Murthy felt.

He called for zonal regulations under the Town and Country Planning Act to restrict unwanted development around the monuments.

UNI