Booking for heritage walk in Banyan Vadodara will now be just a click away

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) jointly with Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) is drawing plans to launch a website `Vadodarabyfoot' to promote heritage sites and organizing regular heritage walks in the city. A meeting was held recently between municipal commissioner Dr Vinod Rao and GACL managing director P K Gera where they discussed about the project.
“We will be soon working out the modalities.Heritage is a government subject and Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has a dedicated cell that will handle the project. GACL has extended its support for this initiative that will help in promoting herita ge sites in the city,“ Rao told TOI.
The project is proposed on the lines of a similar one launched in Boston, US where a non-profit organizations runs bostonbyfoot.org. When contacted, Gera said that talks are on with the VMC to start the website. “We are ready to support the project that will help arrange regular heritage walks in the city. GACL can sponsor the website that will be operated by the VMC. The idea is to launch a web-based organization for heritage walks,“ Gera said.
VMC has been maintaining several heritage sites including the walled city gates and also organized heritage walks in the old city. The civic body has also included heritage tourism in the smart city project. The district administration too had decided to start regular heritage walks in the walled city as well as M S University last year.
“The one in Boston has tra ined volunteers who conduct tours in different areas there.Those interested log into the website and book the tour they wish to join. Our city too can host different heritage walks and photos and videos of different areas can be uploaded on the website,“ Gera added.