Telangnana govt. to spur economic activity around heritage sites

Hyderabad: The state government, aiming for the Unesco world heritage for the city as well as creating economic opportunities for vendors, has decided to restore major heritage sites here. Accordingly, the Telangana government has chosen to appoint an Ahmedabad-based consultant to restore historic and heritage structures.

More than 50 historic sites, including the Quli Qutub Shahi tombs, Golconda fort, step wells, and numerous age-old markets will be developed and restored by the next year in order in an attempt to secure the Unesco tag as well as provide employment for jobless urban youth and boost the activity of vendors around these sites.

The Ahmedabad-based expert recommended that the Telangana government look into the possibility of relocating vendors to historic sites where they might engage in a variety of economic activities that would improve their quality of life.

Some sites where the vendors might be asked to set up economic activity include the Qutub Shahi tombs, Bansilalpet step well, Moazzamjahi Market, Sardar Mahal, Murgi Chowk, Mir Alam Mandi, State Central Library, and Shaikpet Sarai. The GHMC will work with the HMDA, the nodal agency that has been carrying out the heritage restoration projects. The agencies will be simultaneously developing strategies to use Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCF) to provide jobless youth with employment.

The LCF is a sustainable livelihood programme for economically disadvantaged urban youth. It works through collective action by creating an ecosystem of different stakeholders, including the government, corporates, non-profit organisations, and others. These partners will work to promote social and economic development in the city by empowering individuals and communities with agency and sustainable livelihood.

The LCF will give the GHMC a weekly status report on the programme's implementation. Initially, 500 youth will first receive training. After the programme is finished, placements will be offered within a year. Officials stated they would deploy the trained youth at heritage sites in order to create employment opportunities. In addition to this, officials stated that the designated vending zones at the historic sites will be established in a way that the heritage structure is safeguarded.