4. Management Plan This Management Plan Is Based on the Premises Discussed on Chapter 3

Assistance to the Formulation of the Management Plan for Visitor Centres under the Ajanta – Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Project (II) 4. Management Plan This management plan is based on the premises discussed on Chapter 3. 4.1. Institutional Set-up In India, the museums are part of a government entity (i.e. Ministry of Culture) and employees are civil servants. Their governance and administration are integrated with that of the larger body. The line department museums receive an annual operation allocation from the budget of the governing organization. Earned revenues are not retained by the museums but go to a national treasury, not benefitting the museum directly. For this reason, there is little incentive to improve the delivery and quality of services. Decision making is restricted and policies concerning administration fees, opening hours, operational programmes and pay-scale of personnel are set by the governing body. Memberships, sponsorships, donations and fundraising opportunities are limited. In order for the visitor centres to overcome the above issues, the institutional set-up of the visitor centres should aim to attain functional sustainability. 4.1.1. Institutional requirements While dealing with a large and complex project like this visitor centre, officers may not have enough time to review preparatory activities and projected operations daily since they are assumed to have other responsibilities outside as well. Accordingly, it will be necessary to create a MTDC Preparation Office as the practical organization having the responsibility for the statutory works, institutional set-up and necessary preparatory activities and approval processes for future operations. Therefore, the Study Team recommends that MTDC should establish a "Preparation Office". One of the issues that arises during the preparation stage for a cultural facility such as this visitor centre is the organization and system of the operation body and its timing. Because the financial resources to operate an organization and input of human resources will be limited, there is need to minimize the number of staff members. However, few such cases have succeeded. For operation of the visitor centre, it is essential to have staff members who sufficiently understand the policies of the visitor centre and the objectives of operations. In a short period of preparation, operation staff may not be able to fully understand the operation policies of the visitor centre. In this regard, it is important to open the preparation office at an early stage and to assign potential key staff who will continuously manage actual operations after the opening. The MTDC Preparation Office will also play an important role in establishing a reliable relationship between the operation body and MTDC. In this project, it is very important to join the image of the completed building facility and the image after the opening with well- organized institutional functions. Final Report 95 Assistance to the Formulation of the Management Plan for Visitor Centres under the Ajanta – Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Project (II) The operating consultants employed by MTDC will discuss these matters with the Director and staff of the MTDC’s Preparation Office in detail and will make various suggestions concerning the preparatory activities. Receiving such suggestions, the staff of the MTDC’s Preparation Office will review them to determine if they can actually manage them by themselves. The operating consultants will consult on any unclear or difficult issues, and results will be reflected in the operations plan. In this way, the future staff of the visitor centres will have guidance in what they need to do and the visitor centres can be opened with full understanding to carry out the purposes of establishment, operation policies, and aims of activities. MTDC Preparation Office to oversee creative establishment of EACTDA Advisory Committee 1 Director Advisory Committee 2 Help of Operating Consultants Creation of Contents Area Development & Events Coordination & (Art & Performance) Regulation Figure 4-1 Institutional setup at initial stage Source: JICA Study Team 4.1.2. Creation of special advisory committees The Study Team found that three levels of special committees exist to provide oversight on Ajanta and Ellora Tourism Development Project (II) including Chief Secretary, Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner and District Collector in order to facilitate and coordinate the physical development of the project. Hence, the Study Team would like to suggest for the sake of operations and management of the visitor centres and their sustainable future operations, that the following two advisory committees to be constituted by the MTDC Preparatory Committee with the assistance of Operating Consultants: (1) Advisory committee 1 Advisory Committee 1 will provide MTDC Preparation Office advices, directions, policies and guidelines for creation of contents & event programmes focused on visitor centres’ attractions. Members of this advisory committee will facilitate the decision making process and consist of the following representatives: Final Report 96 Assistance to the Formulation of the Management Plan for Visitor Centres under the Ajanta – Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Project (II) • Performing Arts • Academia • Handicrafts and Arts • MTDC and ASI • Ajanta & Ellora subject experts (who have demonstrated long-term commitment and interest over the last decade or so) • Business associations/entities having interest in supporting culture & heritage (2) Advisory committee 2 Advisory Committee 2 will plan for the enabling environment (physical and activity dimensions) for the areas including and around the visitor centres and the caves, envisaged to be led by the government. The committee will provide directions in regard to the following aspects: • Land use planning & coordination with 30 years or more perspective • Regulation for development (including ensuring protection of ancient landscape and view from distances) • Design/heritage adaptation aesthetics • Sanitation & cleanliness • Pollution control • Trunk infrastructure development & access to key designated user segments This advisory committee will facilitate the MTDC Preparation Office at the initial stage of preparatory works of the visitor centres and will eventually become “Ajanta & Ellora Heritage and Integrated Development Authority.” Member of this advisory committee will consist of the following concerned parties: • District Collector • ASI • Department of Forests • State Town & Country Planning • Department of Public Works • MTDC • Any other as per policy and subject matter Sustainability of the project can only be achieved by the management of regional development. In this sense, management of VC alone could not sustain the atmosphere, environment and development concept of the entire site (world heritage site, visitor centre and surrounding Final Report 97 Assistance to the Formulation of the Management Plan for Visitor Centres under the Ajanta – Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Project (II) environment/landscape). Unwilling developments will deteriorate the environment and theme of the original concept. Hence, it is important to establish common discussion and decision making platform (i.e. Authority) amongst agencies concerned. 4.1.3. Establishment of Ajanta & Ellora heritage and integrated development authority When control is required over a large area, with both private and public land ownership, a particular pattern of land use needs to be enforced in order to: • Prevent haphazard or unstructured development • Focusing on a particular theme or set of themes • Ensuring long term economic, social and environmental sustainability; in certain cases cultural assets can also be included in their purview – such as the usage of urban design controls to reinforce a visual character brought about by a precedent monument/artefact (the city of Cairo, for example, mandates the usage of white as the standard colour for all its buildings). • Improving general development in the area All of the above requirements seem to apply to Ajanta & Ellora heritage sites encompassing surrounding areas. Constitution of an Authority under an appropriate Act, in this case, the Maharashtra Region & Town Planning Act of 1966 is recommended, as: • There are no issues relating to parallel authorities which may end up working at cross- purposes or with conflicting objectives • The integration of a newly notified ‘planning area’ into the regional fabric is easier (particularly in terms of resource sharing) • There are inherent transfer clauses that allow a local Government to take over the task of managing development/ managing developed assets after a certain period of time • The apex decision making body in an Authority is almost invariably a set of elected representatives and some non-officio members with a technical expertise – this allows an Authority in the case of Ajanta & Ellora cave areas to retain a conservation-centered focus – this modality can be used to involve the Archaeological Survey of India, stakeholders from independent Institutions such as INTACH, etc. In the case of Ajanta & Ellora, the Government of Maharashtra assigns the Department of Town & Country Planning to develop the following things: • A study that delineates a planning area around each visitor centre • Prepare an existing land use plan of the entire delineated areas Final Report 98 Assistance to the Formulation of the Management

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