The Indian Government’s project, “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, ApniPehchaan,” launched in September 2017, sparked significant public debate, over whether or not, private companies should become caretakers of heritage sites. This project is one example of flourishing public-private partnerships in the country and blends with the current government’s efforts to secure cooperation and investments from major private players, domestic and international.
The fear of privatization of sites of national and historical pride, especially emerged in light of history being created with Dalmia Bharat group, a major conglomerate in India, winning one of the most magnificent contracts in India. It became the first corporate house to adopt a historical monument, the Red Fort, with a contract valued at INR 25 crores.
The Adopt a Heritage program is an experimental project that delineates concrete responsibilities and conditionalities for the private companies that win the innovative vision-based bid. First, this project privatizes management for an initial period of five years. Second, the companies do not own the monuments and hence, cannot auction, sell or convert them into a revenue-generating, full-fledged commercial enterprise. Third, the private companies will not be allowed to administer the heritage sites on their own and will have to jointly work with government entities.
The company will be responsible for creating new infrastructure, new amenities and new levels of cleanliness, maintain existing operations, take better care of tourists as well as make the monument more popular. However, the company will be allowed to levy charges on visitors, for activities deemed “semi-commercial.” These entail inclusion of the brand name on banners and souvenirs sold within the monument. Thus, the responsibility to advertise the heritage site will be supported by opportunities to advertise the company too.
Yet, the concerns regarding this project cannot be fully alleviated. The heritage of a country is national and hence, must be accessible to everyone, devoid of any representations of private interests and agenda. If the heritage sites are being maintained using taxpayers’ money plus income from tickets etc., but the government is handing over that responsibility to the private sector, what happens to that money?
Also, most of the heritage sites that have been offered for adoption have religious significance. This puts the act of pushing them deeper into a consumption-driven private market in direct contrast to the moral values, in the form of adaptation to modest living, freedom from selfish human desires and relinquishment of wealth. However, keeping such contemplative arguments aside, this adoption project holds merit on multiple fronts.
The public maintenance of historical heritage sites in India is constantly met with severe criticism. From that viewpoint, the government’s management of a challenging task has not been satisfactory, and now the private sector is essentially being put to test. Some famous monuments in India, like the Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, have been substantially renovated, courtesy assistance and funds provided by UNESCO.
Moreover, the project aims at not only adopting the heritage sites, but also adapting them to be able to cater to a contemporary tourist experience (establishment of visitor centers, creation of virtual reality visualizations). The underlying idea is to focus on infrastructure that is at par with global standards, while using technology that is more up-to-date and consumer-focused. The private sector has historically been more adept at conceptualising and executing such activities in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Importantly, the public-private divide is neither artificial, nor clear-cut. Over time, it has been blurred in multiple ways that may not be seemingly obvious at first glance. Religious codes of morality may reject pursuit of desire and luxury, but great temples, palaces, churches and mosques are invariably pieces of art, supported by immense amounts of money and other material resources, donated by rich kings and other personnel.
The tourism industry in India, comprising tour operators, restaurateurs and hoteliers, is also heavily privatized. The private companies are involved in catering to tourists, especially foreign tourists, conducting visits and thereby, providing the national sites with ticket-buyers. Tickets for foreign tourists are always priced staggeringly higher than domestic ones. Viewed from this perspective, the government has been dependent on private companies for funding in the form of tourist footfalls, for a long time anyway.
The counterpoint to this is that since heritage sites are a part of the public sphere, a level playing field must be provided for private entities. The competition amongst private players in the tourism market is intense. However, inside the heritage site, the experience of the tourists must not vary depending on which private company they chose. Thus, in case the company managing a particular heritage site, sets up a hotel nearby and offers perks to visitors staying there, other private players and tourists will face the brunt.
Having said that, it cannot be denied that the governments have been partial on many occasions as well. Heritage sites like the Taj Mahal are often shut down to host foreign delegations. They often change narratives around historical sites to suit their political objectives and choose which monuments must be taken care of, over others.
Thus, the issue of private maintenance of heritage sites has advantages and disadvantages. Since the adoption project is only a little over a year old, it remains to be seen how effective it is in achieving the outlined aims. As long as the historical value and integrity of the monuments are not compromised and private entities do not take commercially unfair advantage of them, India’s heritage might actually be restored to their full glory, rather than remain reminiscent of past prosperity, lost over time. Sustainable and responsible tourism is the only solution to preserve the country’s rich heritage.
India Outbound
January 17, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/sustainability-of-heritage-sites-in-india/
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