While you may not be able to rent heritage sites for your family
events, you would be able to hold a family event in certain portions
of such sites. For that to happen, however, the ministry of culture
would have to accept the suggestion made by a Parliamentary
panel.
The Lok Sabha Public Accounts Committee on Preservation and
Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities, which has recently
submitted a report suggesting ways in which the ministry can
generate revenues, has said parts of heritage sites could be rented
out at a premium for social and family events after putting in place
proper guidelines.
"The recommendation for the ministry to explore enhancing
revenue generation through premium renting of well-known sites for
social and family events with proper guidelines has not been
brooded upon with seriousness … The committee had deliberated
the issue in-depth and considered and opined that certain areas of
some well-known monuments like the Red Fort, the Taj Mahal, the
Victoria Memorial Hall could very well be earmarked and rented out
for events like marriages, plays and musicals at premium rates
without hurting the monuments by developing strict guidelines and
close supervision," the panel, said in its report.
Earlier, the ministry had declined to accept the panel’s
recommendation that heritage sites be rented out for such events,
saying doing so might be detrimental to the state of the monument.
"If the Archaeological Survey of India is not in favour of renting
heritage monuments for social and family events, possibilities
should be explored if such events can be held in the backdrop of
those monuments,” the panel further suggested.
Would you like to explore one of the sites in your city????