Lucknow: From the historical Chunar Fort in Mirzapur to the famous Jal Mahal of Barasana, Mathura, the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to convert these monuments into heritage hotels.
The Yogi cabinet has approved the proposal to convert a few of the heritage buildings into hotels.
Major historical forts to be converted into heritage hotels:
Among these are Chunar Fort in Mirzapur, Barua Sagar Fort in Jhansi, Jal Mahal in Barsana, Mathura, Kothi Gulistan & Darshan Vilas, Chattar Manzil in Lucknow, Tikait Rai Baradari in Bithur, and Shukla Talab in Kanpur. The Archaeological Department has already de-notified these buildings and handed them over to the state government.
The tourism minister of UP, Jaiveer Singh, informed that these heritage buildings would be given to private players on lease. While the lease term would be for 90 years, the private parties cannot change the basic structure of these buildings. He said that as per the proposals, the heritage buildings which have been ruined up to 75 per cent would also be given on lease for converting them into hotels after repairing and remodeling.
The tourism minister said that in the new policy for hotels and guest houses, a clause has been added for giving these heritage buildings on lease. These heritage hotels are likely to lure customers looking for the feel of Nawabi culture as well as those going for grand marriages and other functions. In the new tourism policy of UP, the state government has already announced grants, concessions, and incentives for converting old palaces, Havelis, and historical buildings into heritage hotels.
Guest houses to be developed
According to Jaiveer Singh, the tourism department has also decided to hand over ten of its guest houses to the private sector for operation. These include guest houses in Sonauli Maharajganj, Bateshwar Agra, Kalinjar in Banda, two in Mathura, one each in Naimish Sitapur, Sandi Hardoi, and Deogarh Bhadohi. These guest houses would be given to the private sector on a 62-year lease. The UP Government will float an e-tender for these guest houses to be given on lease. The minister said that presently, these guest houses have been running into losses.
