Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand has directed officials on Sunday to develop a ‘Heritage Village’ at the world famous ancient archaeological site of Sirpur, in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district.
During his visit to Sirpur, the Chief Secretary directed to preserve the rare ancient monuments and work as per the Government’s action plan to develop tourist facilities in the region. Dhand also directed that no new excavation work should be taken up at the Sirpur site without seeking permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Chief Secretary while on his visit also discussed ways to raise the ground water level in the downstream of Mahanadi river by construction of Anicuts in the region. During a meeting held with officials at Sirpur, Dhand also informed that an Action Plan has been prepared for the beautification of the area around Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh dam ( Kodar reservoir) for drawing tourists to the State. The government had earmarked around 183 acres of land for the purpose.
The Chief Secretary also directed officials to provide street lighting facility at Sirpur through Solar Energy mode. The Archaeological Adviser to the State government Dr Arun Kumar who accompanied Dhand on his visit suggested to deploy guards for protecting the historical monuments. Significantly, Chhattisgarh’s first and the country’s second ‘Tactile Way’ and a Ramp at the ancient Archeological and Tourism site of Sirpur at laxman temple was inaugurated on April 18 last year.
The laxman temple has been developed as the first ‘friendly heritage site’ of Chhattisgarh’ for the blind persons and the differently-abled at the ancient archaeological site of Sirpur. The unique project was the result of the financial assistance provided to the Archeological Survey of India by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The ramp now enables the aged, children and pregnant women to easily roam in the temple.