Centre to develop Amritsar, 11 other heritage cities

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

Amritsar along with 11 other heritage cities will be developed under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) of the Union Government.

Addressing a workshop on development of heritage cities, Union Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said Amritsar, Ajmer, Mathura, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Varanasi, Puri, Dwaraka, Badami, Warrangal and Amrawati would be targeted under HRIDAY. Naidu said the future development of any city must take into consideration its nature, history and culture, thus capturing its unique heritage.

The scheme, with a total outlay of Rs 500 crore, will be launched shortly, said Naidu. The joint consultation workshop saw participation of municipal commissioners, district magistrates and other representatives of the heritage cities. Other participants included, representatives of institutions and organisations like INTACH, UNESCO, CEPT University, Indian Heritage Cities Network, SAHAPEDIA, India City Walks and Cities Alliance.

Participants agreed that HRIDAY should focus on engagement with the entire city ecosystem including citizens, tourists and local businesses. It was jointly agreed that 85 per cent of the total outlay will be earmarked for the project formulation and execution. The remaining 15 per cent will be utilised for other critical components, such as capacity building, establishment of project management units, preparation of heritage management plan, stakeholder engagement, he said.