Red Fort: Adopted by Dalmia Bharat, but still missing a family

The brouhaha over the Red Fort adoption misses the larger issue of improving the quality of conservation work of monuments

The tourism ministry’s announcement of an agreement with Dalmia Bharat allowing the private firm to “adopt” the Red Fort has triggered sharp responses from political parties and a section of civil society over fears of handover of a monument that has stood as a symbol of national integration.

Interestingly, a parliamentary panel that included members of the Opposition had backed the Adopt a Heritage scheme that was launched last September. Some voices among academics and artists, on the other hand, raised the familiar fear of a Hindutva agenda linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party regime behind the move. The