Yogi Adityanath government today allotted Rs 20 crore for the completion of the under-construction Mughal Museum near Taj Mahal, Agra. The museum was initiated by Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in 2016 and was supposed to be erected up by the end of 2017.
David Chipperfield Architects and Studio Archohm have designed the museum which is being built on a plot of 25,000 square metres (2.5 hectares). The land is located 1.3 km away from the eastern gate of Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Agra.
In the first supplementary budget tabled by the Yogi government, Rs 163 crore were allotted to the tourism industry. That included 20 crores for the Mughal Museum and Rs 6 crores for Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya. During Diwali festivities, Dipotsav(carnival of light) is being envisioned in Ayodhya by the Yogi government.
The Mughal Museum, which was planned to be completed by the end of 2017 was inordinately delayed due to lack of funds. The state electricity department’s store room was also established on a 1.25-acre land of the total approved 5.9 acre land. This further delayed the project.
Initially 90 crores were released from the total estimated project cost of Rs 141 crore. However, due to paucity of funds and other operational issues, the project was deferred multiple times.
According to Studio Archohm, the organisation tasked with designing and constructing the museum, about 75per cent of the project is completed. The museum will showcase mughal-era artifacts, weaponry, costumes, culture and the architectural taste prevalent in that stretch of period.
The Mughal Museum is a part of an extensive master plan conceived by the government that included the Taj Orientation Centre, the Agra Heritage Centre and a Street Cafeteria. The government aims to facilitate and educate seven to eight million tourists who visit the Taj Mahal annually through the museum’s construction.
