DALMIA BHARAT GROUP ADOPTS THE RED FORT
The 77-year-old Dalmia Bharat group has become the first corporate house in India’s history to adopt a historical monument.
The monument, for which a five-year contract worth ~250 million has been signed, is the 17th century Red Fort, built by India’s fifth Mughal ruler, Shah Jahan, when he moved his capital from Agra to Delhi.
The group won the contract by beating IndiGo and the GMR group to bag one of the most prestigious contracts under the Central government’s ‘Adopt A Heritage’ scheme.
The group has started brainstorming on how it intends to develop the Red Fort over the next few months. It will start work on May 23 before handing it over temporarily to security agencies in July for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last independence day speech of his present tenure.
The group’s top executives say they have plans to complete night illumination before handing it over for the Independence Day address. Work on other aspects would resume after that. Among other things, the group plans to install tactile flooring for the differentlyabled and signage, which depicts the monument’s history. It also plans to use the Red Fort for music concerts and other cultural activities.
It will launch marketing and advertising activities to popularise the revamped Red Fort.
“We have to start work within 30 days and own it for five years initially. Then the contract can be extended. It will help us integrate the Dalmia brand with India. We want more people from Delhi and the National Capital Region to come here. Just look at some of the castles in Europe, which are a fraction of the Red Fort’s size but are so meticulously maintained. We will develop the monument similarly and it will be among the world’s best,” said Mahendra Singhi, group chief executive officer of Dalmia Cement (Bharat).
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Dalmia Bharat Ltd, the ministry of tourism, the ministry of culture, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on April 9. This is part of the government’s plan to allow corporate control of some monuments and heritage sites. Under the contract, the group will do a facelift of the Red Fort’s surroundings, and the time taken for this will range from a few months to more than two years.
Front lighting, which involves “façade lighting and structure illumination”, has to be done by July. The illumination of the rest of the structure has to be completed in two years. Secondly, the group will have to put up art installations for the Independence Day event every year. It is not clear if this will be done this year.
Under the contract, the group has to provide basic amenities within six months. These include drinking water kiosks, street furniture-like benches and shop signage. Tasks that have to be completed within a year include putting up tactile maps; upgrading toilets; lighting up the Red Fort pathways and bollards; restoration work and landscaping; building a 1,000square foot visitor facility centre; 3-D projection mapping of the Red Fort’s interior and exterior; battery-operated vehicles and charging stations for such vehicles; and a thematic cafeteria.
Tasks that need to be completed within two years include setting up exhibitions in cells under the Asad Burj; virtual realitybased monument interpretations; building night trails; and structural illumination of the entire Red Fort.
Certain amenities have to be provided within two years. These include installing turnstiles at check points; fencing with sliding doors; and tactile paving (which, executives say, is a surprisingly expensive job.)
The group will charge visitors after getting clearances from the ministry of culture and the ministry of tourism. Revenue thus generated would have be ploughed back into the Fort’s development and maintenance. The group will charge visitors for semi-commercial activities it plans to conduct.
Overseeing all these activities would be three committees, of which one, called the “Monument Committee”, will assist in implementing the facelift of the Red Fort and its operations and maintenance. The committee will consist of the two bureaucrats, a superintending archaeologist, a member of the group, and a project management consultant.
Two aspects of the deal stand out. First, the government has promised the group that it would be held “harmless” in case the Archaeological Survey of India and others like Delhi’s district collector decide to pursue any claims related to work done on the monument. While the indemnity clause may help against pressure tactics and frivolous activism of the “culture brigade”, it also gives creative freedom for transforming the Red Fort. Secondly, the contract also allows prominent visibility to the Dalmia brand. The group would be able to use the brand name on souvenirs, banners during cultural events and all signage that it would install across the Red Fort’s precincts.
Under the ‘Adopt A Heritage’ scheme, launched by the government in September last year, almost a 100 monuments and heritage sites across India have been put up for adoption. These include the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Kangra Fort in Himachal Pradesh, and Buddhist Kanheri caves in Mumbai.
The firm has become the first corporate house in India to adopt a historical monument