Safdarjung Tomb glows at night

new delhi: The Safdarjung Tomb will now be lit up at night. Continuing with their project of illuminating 13 important monuments in the capital by the Commonwealth Games, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) on Thursday illuminated the 18th century Safdarjung Tomb in central Delhi. Earlier, it had illuminated the Purana Qila in the third week of January this year.
Rajiv Maken, director (commercial and marketing) ITDC, said: "We will illuminate nine more monuments by July this year as part of phase I of the programme.After this, 33 more monuments identified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be lit up under phase II. This will be done before the Commonwealth Games.'' The monuments that have already been illuminated are Purana Qila, Sher Shah Gate and Masjid and Subz Burj. Next on the list for phase I completion are Feroze Shah Kotla, Khan-e-Khana tomb, Bara Khamba, Lal Darwaaza, Chhoti Gumti, Sikri Gumti, Biran-ka-Gumbad, Dadi Poti ka Gumbad and Najaf Khan's tomb.
This time round, the ITDC is twice as careful about the illumination work at the sensitive Safdarjung Tomb. Two years ago, it faced the wrath of the ASI over a `shoddy' illumination job after drilling at several places in the main tomb for the lighting. "This time, we are using energy efficient lighting with state-of-the-art technology. It will not cost more than Rs 1,000 per day as power expenses. The light fixtures installed are weather-proof LED lights with cool sheds, ultra-violet and infra-red protected. There are no fixtures on the main monument or touching it,'' explained ITDC general manager Ravi Pandit.
The trial project for illumination was conducted two years ago and the focus was to light up Delhi's monuments on the lines of London, Vienna, Barcelona and Rome. The Union ministry of tourism had sanctioned Rs 2,375.09 lakh for the project under the major destination development scheme. With the Commonwealth Games in sight, this is another step towards bringing the city's inherent historical character in the public eye and promoting night tourism in Delhi.