Govt to setup Rs 4,000 cr National Maritime Heritage Complex Museum at Lothal's Indus Valley civilisation port site by 2029: Sonowal

Sarbananda Sonowal

The central government will invest Rs 4,000 crore in the next five years to develop a National Maritime Heritage Complex Museum and boost Lothal in Gujarat as an international tourist destination to highlight the historical importance of India in the maritime industry, Union ports, shipping, and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal told Moneycontrol.

Lothal was one of the prominent cities of the ancient Harappan civilization dating to 2600 BC. Archaeological excavations of Lothal have discovered the oldest manmade dockyard, over 5000 years old. Lothal was one of the most important ports of the Indus Valley civilization, which served the trade between the Indus Valley civilization and those in the west such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, and other ancient civilizations.

Lothal is also a UNESCO world heritage site in Gujarat.

"Around 5000 years ago, India used to integrate the world through commercial activity, maritime trade, culture, and civilization. The new tourist hub in Lothal will highlight and preserve the historical importance of India and showcase it to the world," Sonowal told Moneycontrol.

He added that apart from the initial investment of Rs 4,000 crore the government expects to attract a public-private partnership (PPP) contract to develop infrastructure around Lothar.

"Apart from government investments, we are expecting substantial PPP (public-private partnerships) in setting up the supporting infra," Sonowal said.

While the minister did not quantify the value of PPP contracts expected to come from developing infrastructure around Lothal, officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways told Moneycontrol that so far the government has identified contracts worth Rs 5,000 crore which will be invited under the PPP model.

The first phase of the redevelopment of Lothal, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will include the setting up of galleries that will highlight India’s maritime trade across States.

Components of the National Maritime Heritage Complex include a maritime separate area dedicated to preserving and displaying ancient and modern maritime technologies, a hub for research on maritime archaeology, history, and conservation; and a cultural & heritage attraction.

The redevelopment will also include 14 galleries, a lighthouse museum, coastal state pavilions, recreated Lothal city, and four theme-based parks, including those based on monuments, navy, and climate change, along with an amusement park and nature conservation park.

Lothal is one of the ancient cities in India and was an important centre of trade and craftsmanship during the Harappan Civilisation (also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation), around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. The city was strategically situated along the coast and had a dockyard, suggesting that it was a major hub for maritime trade.

As part of the re-development of Lothal city the government is also working with experts from the 12 nations, including the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, Sonowal told Moneycontrol.

The Union cabinet in October gave in-principle approval for Phase 1B and Phase 2 of the National Maritime Heritage Complex.

Setting up a maritime heritage complex at Lothal will befit the historical importance of Lothal and help it develop into a place of extraordinary and unparalleled maritime heritage, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in a statement about Lothal.