West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today came down heavily on the Center for leasing out the the historic Red Fort in New Delhi and the Gandikota Fort in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh to a corporate house.
Describing the Red Fort as the "symbol of the nation" and the day as the "sad and dark day in our history", Banerjee questioned why the central government was unable to take care of the historical fort.
"Why can"t the Government even take care of our historic Lal Qila? Red Fort is a symbol of our nation. It is where India"s flag is hoisted on Independence Day. Why should it be leased out?," Banerjee tweeted this evening.
The Dalmia Bharat Limited today won contracts to adopt the iconic Red Fort and the Gandikota Fort.
The 77-year-old corporate conglomerate beat IndiGo Airlines and the GMR group to bag the contract worth Rs 25 crore spanning five years to maintain the fort.
The Dalimia Bharat group under the memorandum of understanding will maintain the monument and build basic infrastructure around it.
In March this year 31 prospective 'monument mitras' (friends of heritage sites) were shortlisted by a oversight and vision committee for developing tourist-friendly amenities at 95 monuments, heritage and other tourist sites.
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