The Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India, this week launched a pilot project under the Clean India Campaign for the Qutab Minar complex at the site in New Delhi. Present at the launch ceremony were Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister for Tourism, Government of India (GoI); Kumari Selja, Minister for Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation,
GoI; Shankersinh Vaghela, Chairman, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC); Sultan Ahmed, Minister of State for Tourism, GoI and Shatrughan Sinha, Member of Parliament, GoI. MoT has partnered with ITDC for this pilot project. ITDC has been networking with various stakeholders including Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Traffic Department and the Shop Owners and Trade Association around the Qutab complex to make the project a success. NGO Prayas has also been roped in as a partner in this project. Under the Clean India pilot project, all the issues pertaining to the heritage site are taken care of including providing drinking water facilities, renovation of toilets, proper signages in and around the premises, placing of garbage bins, maintenance of parking lots at Qutab Minar, conversion of the Qutab Minar complex into friendly zone for differently-abled people, various repair/replacement work, 24/7 management and garbage clearance, tourist help desks and deployment of volunteers for better management amongst others. Speaking on the occasion, Sahai urged the need to emphasise on hygiene and cleanliness for promoting India as a tourist destination in the global market. He added that tourism stake holders and government should give importance to hygiene and cleanliness around tourist destinations along with the efforts that they make to increase tourist arrivals to India and develop new infrastructures. Selja added, “Heritage Tourism is one of the leading segments in India. Indians need to keep clean their heritage sites for next generation. This will remind and pass on our tradition and culture to new generation.” The Clean India Campaign is a multi-pronged action and comprehensive strategy to ensure an acceptable level of cleanliness and hygiene practices at tourist destinations for an inclusive and sustainable development of tourism through ownership and involvement of private and public sector stakeholders. This initiative aims to create a collective mindset that promotes cleanliness and hygiene by a balance of persuasion, education, sensitisation, training, demonstration, regulation and involvement of every individual. The Clean India Campaign has been initiated by the MoT with the objective to increase foreign tourist arrivals in the country and to improve quality of services and provide a hygienic environment in and around tourist destinations across the country in sync with the 12th Five Year Plan of the Indian government. In the first phase of the campaign, 36 such monuments have been identified by the MoT and ASI.
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