US Ambassador announces completion of restoration project of

US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster on Tuesday announced the completion of an American- funded restoration project at the 17th century Qutb Shahi Tombs here.

In February 2019, Ambassador Juster announced a USD 1,03,000 grant under the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation to restore and conserve the centuries-old tombs of thefamed dancersTaramati and Premamati within the greater Qutb Shahi Tombs complex here.

"It's really a tremendous treat to be here. This is my third visit to the Qutb Shahi tombs.

I want to thank the Telangana government, the Aga Khan Foundation, and the US Mission for the work we have done together here in restoration. This is our second Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation and Restoration project," Juster told reporters. "I was here about a year ago to visit the two tombs of Taramati and Premamati. It's so important for the United States to help restore the cultural heritage of India and particularly in this part of India.

We had three Ambassadors Fund grants over the years and we are applying for more (grant)," he said.

"I am delighted to be here to mark the completion of this project which looks so beautiful," he added.

This is the second grant awarded by the US government for conservation work at the Qutb Shahi Tombs.

An AFCP grant of USD 1,01,000 awarded in 2014, contributed to mapping and documenting structures throughout the site and helped transform archeologists' understanding of the monuments earliest architecture.

Earlier in the day, Kenneth I Juster visited the Tata- Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility near here.

According to an official release, Juster toured the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures facility, currently in its 10th year, which stands as a testament to the strong relationship between the defense industries of the United States and India. The Ambassador's visit to the 4,700 square-meter facility marks the 10-year anniversary of this partnership and highlights the importance of the growing defense ties between the United States and India, it said.

The jointly-owned facility in Adibatla near here, manufactures airframe components, including center-wing boxes and tail sections for the C-130J military transport aircraft.

"From the success of the US-India defense partnership, as exemplified by a decade of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Tata, to the restoration of the historic tombs of Taramati and Premamati, US-India ties are clearly thriving in Hyderabad," the release quoted Juster as saying.