Elephanta Caves' 'Adoption' Triggers Familiar Row With Stakeholders

India | Asia | Heritage Management

In an unprecedented step that heralds a new chapter for India’s approach to heritage conservation, Maharashtra’s iconic Elephanta Caves have been adopted by a private firm, marking it as the first monument in the state to fall under the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) ambitious 'Adopt a Heritage’ scheme. 

This adoption comes as a turning point in India’s conservation ethos, where private corporations are invited—through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives—to take on the responsibilities of not merely safeguarding but actively enhancing the country’s cultural legacy. 

Power Corrupts On Elephanta Island

India | Environment
It was incredulous yet true! For years on end, Elephanta Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site registering 20 lakh footfalls annually, received power for not more than two and half hours in the night through an MTDC generator; hadn’t a single doctor on the entire island; had no facility for formal education beyond Standard 10th and absolutely no crisis management process in place. And, the island was located barely 10 kms away from India’s financial capital…Mumbai!

Inclusive Tourism Destinations: Model and Success Stories

World | Inclusive Tourism
The Global Report on Inclusive Tourism Destinations: Model and Success Stories presents a model for inclusive tourism which refers to the capacity of tourism to integrate disadvantaged groups so that they can participate in, and benefit from, tourism activity. The report showcases how tourism can function as a vehicle for sustainable development and the reduction of poverty and inequality in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report highlights the need to foster discussion on and examine new approaches to inclusive tourism in order to drive long-term sustainability in the sector.

Elephanta Island Gets Powerful, Finally

India | Development
Elephanta Island aka Gharapuri is in the news and for all the wrong reasons. That the Elephanta Island, known for housing UNESCO World Heritage Site Elephanta Caves and receives more than 20 lakh footfalls of tourists annually, was shrouded in darkness every night for years on end – 70 in all - dashing all hopes and aspirations of progress for the 1,200 islanders living in three villages on the island didn’t quite qualify as news for the mainstream media.

Matheran Risks Slipping Off Track

India | Environment
“It’s a national shame,” rues Ali Akbar Peerbhoy, the grandson of the founder of the enviable Matheran Hill Railway known to ply the Matheran Toy Train which, today, vies for survival. The red sand, the damp air, the horses and the silence are all under threat. Skewed ‘development’ in its crudest and most dramatic forms through the haphazard maze of ‘roads’ and ‘guest houses’ that have mushroomed all along the pristine zone. Pushy touts and uncouth horse-ride providers operating in flagrant violation of the law have hijacked the very concept of Matheran itself. The elected and governmental authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the scenario.