NVERSATION WITH PRAVEE
Published : November 7, 2003

Stating that the central government has decided to adopt Dholavira,
Modera and Somnath under its scheme of developing centres of
excellence, Union minister for tourism Jagmohan said on Thursday
that more than Rs 15 crore has already been spent in the past one
year on developing tourist spots in Gujarat.

Funds will not be a problem as far as the Central government is
concerned, the minister said.

Commenting on Dholavira, where the Centre has already spent Rs 1.30
crore over the past one year and will spend another Rs 1 crore in
the next one month, he said, "We intend to convert Dholavira into
one of Gujarat's and India's main tourism hub. I am even planning to
organise a Wold Archaeologists' Meet in Dholavira with the sole
intention of inviting archaeologists from all over the world to this
site that is between 5,000 and 7,000 years old," Jagmohan said.

Other than Dholavira, the Central government has decided to adopt
Saputara, Somnath, Modera, Adalaj, Pavagadh, Patan and a few ancient
Jain temples for development as tourism sports.

"For the past two months or so, we have started a new initiative
where tourism is being synthesised with the culture and civic life.
This huge heritage that we have in the form of architecture, temples
and the like, especially in smaller towns, has been a neglected lot.
That will now change," the minister said.

On Dholavira, Jagmohan said excavations so far have revealed that
this was a mature, urban civilisation with excellent drainage and
town planning.

The facilities that have already been set up at Dholavira include
landscaping, cottages for staying, an information centre and
auditorium and the like.

"If you go to Dholavira today, there is no accommodation and other
problem. In the next stage, though, we want archaeologists from all
over the world to permanently station themselves at Dholavira for
excavation purposes. This will actually bring in many foreign
tourists as well," he said.

"If it is proven that the Saraswati river existed along the several
sites between Haryana and Gujarat, there this belt, including
Dholavira, will be the greatest excavation undertaken anytime in the
world," the minister said.

About Somnath, the minister said the Central government will
undertake improvement of infrastructure and other facilities around
the temple, including the sea front.

"However, the temple and the land surrounding it belong to a trust
and we cannot do much within the premises," he said.

Similarly, the Union government will spend around Rs 3 crore on
promoting the Sun Temple at Modera in Patan district.

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