Odisha to prepare Heritage policy for conservation of over 3,000 monuments

Bhubaneswar, Aug 26 (PTI) The Odisha government will come up with a Heritage policy for conservation, preservation and beautification of over 3,000 heritage monuments across the state, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said here on Tuesday.

Parida said this after chairing a meeting organised to discuss conservation and beautification of the unprotected heritage monuments of Odisha.

Law and Public Works minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Odia Language, Literature and Culture minister Suryavanshi Suraj and senior officers of the concerned departments attended the meeting.

Speaking to reporters, Parida said, "The Culture department will bring a Heritage policy while the Tourism department will identify 75 monuments for conservation, preservation and beautification in the first phase." The heritage monuments will be transformed with world-class amenities, said the deputy chief minister, who is in charge of the Tourism department.

It was also decided in the meeting to form a task force consisting of officers from all three departments—Public Works, Tourism and Culture, she said.

Out of the more than 3,000 monuments, 82 are being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), while 212 are in the hands of the State Endowment Commission, Parida said.

During the meeting, Harichandan said that Odisha, known as the land of Lord Jagannath, is a treasure trove of heritage and culture.

Every corner of the state is filled with heritage and ancient monuments. Along with the protection of these monuments, peripheral development and good road connectivity are also important to attract tourists from all over the world, he said.

The minister emphasised on geo-tagging and preparing profiles of all ancient heritage sites and building a corridor connecting all the Shakti Peethas in the state.

Suraj said that the ancient monuments of Odisha are very precious. So the burden of protecting those lies on the government, he said.

"We have to focus on the protection and preservation of all the historical monuments," Suraj said.

Keeping in mind the 75th birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he emphasised on taking steps to protect 75 historical monuments of the state that are important for tourism, in the first phase. PTI BBM BBM RG