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Museum near Taj to highlight Shivaji’s valour
The upcoming museum near Taj Mahal will highlight the life and valour of great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
The upcoming museum near Taj Mahal will highlight the life and valour of great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Though 70% of the work has been completed, a fresh proposal has been sent to the state government for sanction of funds for the museum which is now estimated to cost ₹170 crore, Avinash Chandra Mishra, joint director for Uttar Pradesh tourism department was quoted as saying in a press statement issued on Friday.
The construction of this museum began in 2016 and was to be named Mughal Museum but its name was changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum after the BJP came to power in the state.
“The museum will bring to light the valour and life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and will promote tourism with its location near to Taj Mahal. A blueprint has been prepared for the project and for this, some material related to Shivaji Maharaj will be brought to Agra from Maharashtra,” said Mishra.
“The museum has been brought up in an area of 6 acres at a distance of 1 km from the Taj Mahal and will have a gallery and exhibition hall in the name of the Maratha ruler. An amount of Rs99 crore has been spent on its construction till now,” he said.
Talking about the delay, he said that the commissioner, Agra Division, had got the inspection done by experts from IIT Roorkee for the construction carried out for the museum during the Samajwadi Party rule in the state and the work was found to be of deficient quality. The work was stopped and the executing agency assigned the task was asked to remove the shortcomings in construction work.
“The initial budget for the museum was of ₹141 crore but now the estimated cost is at RS 170 crore for which a proposal has been forwarded to state government and work will soon resume with the sanction of funds,” Mishra said.
Light and sound show
Mishra said that the light and sound show at Agra Fort, which had been discontinued, will resume from December and will be on pattern of show at Jhansi Fort wherein the laser lights will be part of the show. Apart from the history of the Mughals, the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sikh religious head Guru Govind Singh will also be a part of the show.
“The tales related to Agra Fort including those of the Lodhi and Rajput clan will also be elaborated during light and sound shows. The show will also talk about the role of Agra in the freedom struggle. The script is final and will be presented at a cost of ₹8.42 crore this December,” Mishra said.
Earlier there were light and sound shows in two languages, Hindi and English. Now, it will be one show with the facility to have translations in different languages which viewers can appreciate through ear phones. The light and sound show of about 45 minutes at Agra Fort will have the capacity to accommodate 200 visitors at a time, the official said.
Helicopter services
The state tourism department is to soon begin helicopter services between Mathura and Agra to strengthen infrastructure available for the promotion of tourism. Five companies have been selected after tenders were issued by the tourism department. The helicopter services, based on a public-private participation (PPP) model, are expected to begin from December this year, claimed Mishra.
He said that the tourism policy drafted in 2018, in compliance with the chief minister’s directives, has resulted in an increase of investment in tourism in the state in the past couple of years.
“During the term of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, 1,084 projects for tourism development costing about ₹3,000 crore are in progress,” Mishra said.
