Adopt A Heritage Scheme: Assam sees protests over Kaziranga National Park, Ahom-era monuments

GUWAHATI: Centre’s determination to engage corporate properties for upkeep of tourism infrastructure in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and Ahom-era monuments in Sivasagar district has angered many organisations, triggering protest in different portions of the state on Wednesday. This comes at a time when the government is being critisized for involving a non-public corporate to seem after tourist amenities within the 17th century Red Fort.

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While Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), a scholar organisation, and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) threatened to accentuate their stir against “involvement of private companies” within the upkeep of state’s heritage websites, the opposition Congress asked chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal to take in with the Centre to exclude websites within the state from the Adopt A Heritage Scheme.

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“We can't support engagement of private parties for the upkeep of our heritage websites. Our identification is related with those heritage websites, and BJP govt needs to smash this identification. This is an insult for us,” Congress legislator and chief of the opposition Debabrata Saikia said.

State tourism department on Wednesday ruled out “privatisation” of heritage websites, announcing that incorrect information is being spread on the Adopt a Heritage Scheme.

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“Development and upkeep of world-class tourist infrastructure under companies’ CSR job can't be known as privatisation. It’s improper data this is being spread on the scheme. Even public sector companies can also get entangled. The scheme obviously mentions that the job is for operation and upkeep of tourism infrastructure in and round heritage monuments and websites,” Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah clarified.

Activists of All Assam Students Union (AASU), All Tai Ahom Students Union, AJYCP and KMSS staged demonstrations at KNP in Golaghat district and in front of 18th century monuments---amphitheatre Rang Ghar and Ahom dynasty’s royal palace Kareng Ghar and Shiva Dol (Shiva temple) in Sivasagar---on Wednesday. Protest erupted after experiences of a non-public corporate submitted expression of pastime under the scheme.

Baruah showed that a non-public corporate has submitted expression of pastime for the websites selected within the state.

“But submission of expression of pastime does not imply that specific corporate has were given contract under the scheme. It has to go thru a couple of processes. There is also a a couple of of committees which is able to observe actions minutely in executing the duty for operation and upkeep of tourism infrastructure,” Baruah said.

He said that question of causing adverse affect to the heritage websites does not get up, since the actions are only for facilitating tourist amenities.

“For instance, in Kaziranga there can't be any development of tourism infrastructure inside the park boundary. All the job has to be outdoor the park. Similarly, in case of heritage monuments, the actions will best be limited to tourist amenities under the stern monitoring of a couple of committees,” Baruah added.

About the Ahom kingdom

The Ahom kingdom (1228–1826) - a kingdom within the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam - successfully resisted Mughal expansion in Northeast India. It was once established via Sukaphaa, a Tai prince from Mong Mao.