wigstheone
Dec 5, 01, 7:37 am
NEW DELHI -- The Taj Mahal, the famous monument to love, is the source of some hard feelings these days.
Concerned about the Taj's slow decay, the government earlier this year accepted the Tata Group's offer to run the national park that includes the monument, and to pay for its upkeep. Tata, which owns the Taj Group of Hotels, has pledged about 20 million rupees (US$418,000) to upgrade the gardens, pathways, lights and restrooms around the white marble monument. It will also help with conservation projects, including replacing damaged marble and inlay work in the building itself.
In addition, the company will build telephone offices, a tourist information center, cafeteria and cybercafe "in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal." Government officials promise to keep construction well away from the monument.
But the decision has angered traditional India's vigorous antiprivatization lobby, who worry that Tata will try to profit off the marble mausoleum, one of the modern wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal king, Shah Jahan, in the 17th century as a memorial to his deceased wife, is badly in need of repair. Pollution, together with a lack of maintenance, has given the sparkling white marble a yellow tinge. In return for putting up the 20 million rupees, Tata will get "publicity value both at the site and in our publications," according to Navneet Soni, a board member of the National Cultural Fund, the government body that made the decision to use Tata's services. Mr. Soni said the rules on Tata's use of the Taj Mahal name in its marketing campaigns were still to be worked out.
Private and state-owned companies have helped fund and restore other Indian monuments, like Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar in New Delhi, and the erotic temples at Khajuraho. But this is the first direct private involvement in the conservation of the Taj, and some people aren't happy about it. "India really needs a holistic policy for the protection of our national monuments rather than letting a company handle the management of the monuments," says M.C. Mehta, an environmental lawyer whose lawsuit banned coal-based factories from operating near the Taj Mahal.
"Tata needs the Taj's name," says Mr. Mehta, arguing that Tata can cash in on its association with the historical monument. "Taj doesn't need Tata."
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB100749645824504760.htm
Concerned about the Taj's slow decay, the government earlier this year accepted the Tata Group's offer to run the national park that includes the monument, and to pay for its upkeep. Tata, which owns the Taj Group of Hotels, has pledged about 20 million rupees (US$418,000) to upgrade the gardens, pathways, lights and restrooms around the white marble monument. It will also help with conservation projects, including replacing damaged marble and inlay work in the building itself.
In addition, the company will build telephone offices, a tourist information center, cafeteria and cybercafe "in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal." Government officials promise to keep construction well away from the monument.
But the decision has angered traditional India's vigorous antiprivatization lobby, who worry that Tata will try to profit off the marble mausoleum, one of the modern wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal king, Shah Jahan, in the 17th century as a memorial to his deceased wife, is badly in need of repair. Pollution, together with a lack of maintenance, has given the sparkling white marble a yellow tinge. In return for putting up the 20 million rupees, Tata will get "publicity value both at the site and in our publications," according to Navneet Soni, a board member of the National Cultural Fund, the government body that made the decision to use Tata's services. Mr. Soni said the rules on Tata's use of the Taj Mahal name in its marketing campaigns were still to be worked out.
Private and state-owned companies have helped fund and restore other Indian monuments, like Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar in New Delhi, and the erotic temples at Khajuraho. But this is the first direct private involvement in the conservation of the Taj, and some people aren't happy about it. "India really needs a holistic policy for the protection of our national monuments rather than letting a company handle the management of the monuments," says M.C. Mehta, an environmental lawyer whose lawsuit banned coal-based factories from operating near the Taj Mahal.
"Tata needs the Taj's name," says Mr. Mehta, arguing that Tata can cash in on its association with the historical monument. "Taj doesn't need Tata."
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB100749645824504760.htm