Itanagar, Oct 18 (UNI) A college in Arunachal Pradesh has urged the government to develop Malinithan, a historical site located at the foothills of Likabali in West Siang district, into a world heritage to boost tourism.

The department of History of Dera Natung Government College(DNGC) here had recently conducted an educational tour to Malinithan to apprise the students of the importance of Malinithan in historical perspective as it is part of the prescribed syllabus of the university, official sources said.

The 61-member team was amazed at the rich artefacts and historical remains of Malinithan and felt that the site could immensely help in enriching the Arunachal history by establishing its co-relation with mainstream history and heritage of India provided it was properly excavated and discovered. It regretted that the pristine and rare historical site of Arunachal could not be developed due to its poor maintenance.

The team said proper development and maintenance of the Malinithan site would not only help strengthen the state's history but also boost its tourism prospects. It suggested conducting a comprehensive research to ascertain the period and identities of all the remains, including structures and idols excavated so far, saying that tourists had to face difficulties in locating and understanding many structures excavated earlier, the sources added.

UNI UPB PL/src1259