Hyderabad’s iconic Charminar to be illuminated throughout year, says Kishan Reddy

HYDERABAD: Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy has said that India has become the haven for global tourism and emphasized that the country is home to millions of resources that are yet to be discovered.

Kishan Reddy inaugurated the facade illumination for Charminar along with Telangana Tourism Minister Srinivas Goud on Saturday. The iconic structure was illuminated with tri colors and he announced that the Charminar, the symbol of Hyderabad, would be illuminated every day in the evening, throughout the year.

Giving details of various initiatives being taken to attract more tourist footfall to Charminar, Kishan Reddy said that the installation of colorful electric lamp decorations was aimed at giving Charminar a fresh and everlasting look. The project by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) by National Culture Fund (NCF) and Indian Oil Foundation (IOF), would further boost tourism to the historic site, he said.

The Union Tourism Minister said that Charminar was already registered with UNESCO and efforts were being made to get the UNESCO heritage for the historic Charminar and Golconda Fort. Both the monuments were included in the UNESCO tentative list of heritage sites. A similar illumination project would be taken up for Golconda Fort, Warangal Fort and Thousand Pillars temple, he said.

Telangana tourism minister Srinivas Goud also recalled the greatness of Hyderabad and Charminar. He said Hyderabad, with abundant resources, had become the best resource for tourists to have a good time and called on the public to ensure that the culture and heritage were protected. “We are making all efforts to make Charminar notified by UNESCO. Apart from that, tourist places in Telangana are being developed with the cooperation of the Central Government,” he said.