Few civilisations in the world can match the awesome variety and infinite beauty of India’s archaeological wealth. India’s rich cultural and historical heritage is embodied in its ancient monuments. We have been preserving this priceless heritage with limited resources.

In the past, repeated efforts have been made both at the government and private sector levels to foster contemporary cultural life as well as to preserve the rich cultural legacy. The National Culture Fund (NCF) was established as a Trust in November 1996 in the Department of Culture, which has become an effective instrument for private participation in preservation of cultural heritage.

On June 21, NCF, Archaeological Survey of India and the Taj Group of Hotels signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for preservation and upgradation of Taj Mahal. The MoU was signed in the presence of Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mr Ananth Kumar and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Rajnath Singh and Mr N Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd. The Taj Group of Hotels has already been acknowledged for restoring, conserving and managing heritage properties like the Rambagh Palace and Jai Mahal Palace, both in Jaipur, Lake Palace in Udaipur, Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad and the Sawai Madhopur Lodge in Madhopur. Through the memorandum of understanding, varied projects will be undertaken by the group at the Taj Mahal.

The group will be responsible for commissioning a professional agency to prepare a feasibility report on the conservation, beautification, restoration and upgradation of the monument and the surrounding areas. The report will be the basis on which work will be carried out. The tasks include river water treatment, development of the garden and ambience, development of Mughal Garden, restructuring of the existing museum, conservation of the damaged stones at the Taj Mahal, conservation and preservation of the back wall of the Taj Mahal, conservation and preservation of the eastern side wall of the Taj Mahal, restoration of the missing inlay pieces in the Taj Mahal and the main entrance of the monument, conservation of the Mehman Khana and replacement of the missing fountains and muttakas, replacement of the broken pieces of jali and other decorative items, consultation with experts involved with the World Heritage Committee, international lighting design to illuminate the monument with specific regard to minimise insect pollution, provision of pre-recorded tour programmes with headsets in different languages for the foreign travellers and provision of clean and hygienic restroom facilities.

State-of-the-art communication facilities will be set up in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal. These would include telephones, postal services, cyber cafes and printing and reproduction facilities. The proposed tourist centre will offer interpretation facilities, computerised ticketing counters, interactive audio-video presentation facilities, multi-lingual pre-recorded handheld guide kits, banking, ATM facilities, professional transport systems, public conveniences, food and beverages outlets, restrooms, cloak rooms, first-aid centres and waiting lounges.

In the first phase, the Indian Hotel Company proposes to take up projects totaling an amount of rupees 1.83 crore. The question of the development potential of the area will be dealt in the second phase of the programme. Top professionals will be deployed to study the various environmental issues facing the Taj Mahal. Pollution control, enhancement of the riverfront and water management would be three top priorities.