On Tuesday, the Union Government decided to pick Hyderabad’s Charminar as the Swachh Bharat Icon. The plan is to develop and give the iconic structure a makeover to be part of the Swachh Iconic Site (SIS.)
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC,) has been given the task to beautify Charminar with the help of local authorities.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy said, “The complete ambiance of Charminar is set for a makeover. No specific amount has been decided yet. We will draw up a plan that will bring glory to the monument.”
As part of phase 2 of Swachh Iconic Sites, Charminar has been chosen among 10 other places. The remaining are Yamunotri, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Goa, Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Bajinath Dham in Devghar, Gomateshwar in Shravanbelgola, Gaya in Bihar, Kaladi in Ernakulam, Somnath Temple in Gujarat and Gangotri.
At present, Charminar is undergoing the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP.) The project aims at pedestrianizing a radius of 220 meters around Charminar and divert the traffic to the Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.
