A first in state: Elephanta Caves, World Heritage site, adopted by private firm | Pune News – Times of India

Elephanta Caves is the first heritage site in the state adopted by a private firm

PUNE: A private firm recently adopted the Elephanta Caves, a Unesco World Heritage Site, under the Archaeological Survey of India‘s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme.
Senior officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) told TOI on Saturday that this was the first monument in the state to have been adopted under the initiative. Queries from pvt firms have been received for adopting monuments like Shaniwarwada and Pataleshwar Caves in Pune, too.
A senior ASI official said, “We recently signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the private agency that had earlier expressed interest in adopting the monument.The agency will develop and maintain public amenities at the centrally protected monument as a part of its CSR (corporate social responsibility) funding.”
Following concerns raised by some politicians and historians about potential commercialisation of Indian heritage under the scheme, ASI clarified that the monument entry ticketing system would remain solely under its purview.
“The monument’s entry ticket is a Government of India ticket. Thus, the private agency will have no role in ticketing. Nor will it have any role in determining the price of the entry ticket to the adopted monument. The firm will be responsible for the development and refurbishment of the public amenities as a part of its CSR. Maximum firms that have signed MoUs under the scheme would use their CSR funds to develop public amenities at the sites they have adopted.”
The official said, “For instance, if the firm launches a light and sound show at the adopted site, it could be allowed to generate income from the same to maintain the cost of the show. But the income generated from that would be utilised only for the maintenance of the show.”
According to the programme guidelines, the initiative allows the adopting agency to implement semi-commercial amenities, subject to approval from the ‘Approval and Implementation Committee’. These may include cafeterias, souvenir kiosks, and light and sound shows. Revenue generated from these activities would be used to sustain, develop, operate and maintain the adopted monument. At least 80% of the seats for any light and sound show should be priced below INR 200 to ensure accessibility, the guidelines state.
The ‘Adopt a Heritage 2.0’ programme was launched in Sept 2023 by ASI. Under the initiative, a total of 19 MoUs have been signed so far, covering a total of 66 monuments in India, including Elephanta Caves in Raigad.