Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the facilities at 25 Cultural World Heritage Sites in the country, including the fames Qutub Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad of Telangana State, are still deficient and require restoration.
While presenting the General Budget 2015-16 in the Parliament today, the Finance Minister Jaitley has stated that the facilities like landscaping restoration, signage and interpretation centers, parking, access for differently-able persons, amenities for visitors including securities and toilets, illumination and plans for benefiting communities around them would be restored. The Union Finance Minister has proposed to provide resources to start work along these lines for the following Heritage Sites:
Qutub Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad, Churches and Convents of Old Goa, Hampi in Karnataka, Kumbalgarh and other Hill Forts of Rajasthan, Rani ki Vav, Patan in Gujarat, Leh Palace in Ladakh of J&K, Varanasi Temple town in UP, Jalianwala bagh in Amritsar of Punjab, are some of the prestigious tourist important sites in the country that need restoration besides protection.
Jaitley proposed to extend the Visas on arrival facility to 150 countries, in stages, after the success of the same issued to travelers of 43 countries.(NSS)
