On May 15, the permanent delegation of India to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) withdrew Delhi’s nomination for the World Heritage Site status. The central government was working along with the Delhi government and it municipalities to meet the strict criteria of the international body, for the past ten years. The decision was expected as early as June.

What is UNESCO World Heritage?

The UNESCO defines World Heritage as the “designation for places on earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy”. The Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, the Taj Mahal in India, the Grand Canyon in the USA, or the Acropolis in Greece are examples of the 1007 natural and cultural places inscribed on the World Heritage List to date.

What criteria need to be satisfied, to be enlisted by the UNESCO?

To be enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage, the site must possess outstanding universal value, and should conform to at least one of the ten selection criteria, that include:

• To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius

• To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design

• To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance 

What parts of Delhi were nominated?

The government had nominated the following sites from Delhi:

Shahjahanabad – The walled city that was built by the Mughal ruler Shahjahan. The boundary of the nominated area follows the location of the original city wall. It includes the Red Fort Palace Complex, Chandni Chowk, the Fatehpuri Masjid and the Jama Masjid.

Although the Red Fort Palace Complex is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been included in the proposed area, as it is an integral part of the narrative of Shahjahanabad, and adds to its ‘’outstanding universal value’’.

The Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ) – The area was built by Edward Lutyens, post the Delhi Durbar, in 1911. The nominated area includes the bungalows (which are now occupied by parliamentarian, judges and bureaucrats), the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Rajpath (the centerpiece that leads to the Rashtrapati Bhawan) and the India Gate.

How would a UNESCO listing help Delhi, or its residents?

UNESCO World Heritage cities, like Rome and Edinburg, are major tourist locations. The tag could have boosted tourism in Delhi. A lot of Delhi’s dying arts, like block printing and stone inlaying, could have found patrons. This would have provided a new lease of life to thousands of craftsmen and artistes. Moreover, money generated from tourism, could be ploughed back to conserve the monuments, which are currently in a state of decay.

Seems like Delhi missed a great opportunity. What do the experts have to say? Do they agree with the government?

According to urban planners, Delhi’s development would have faced no hurdles because of the UNESCO listing. The plan would have enlisted less than two per cent of the city’s area as protected heritage, and UNESCO ensures regulated and well-planned projects, rather than unregulated ones.

Historian William Dalrymple, who has authored a travelogue on Delhi (City of Djinns), has said that the government suffers from “short-sightedness.” According to him, cities like Rome and Paris, which are also listed by UNESCO, have faced no problems with infrastructural development.

In an interview, K.K Muhammad, a former Regional Director (North) of the Archeological Survey of India, said the withdrawal “has dashed the hopes of so many people, who have been working for the preservation of heritage in the country’’. He added that other cities like Varanasi and Patna could have followed suit and reaped the benefits of increased tourism.

India is a large country. There must definitely be other sites that are deserving of a UNESCO listing?

Yes, India has several other sites that are potential contenders for the listing. In fact, Chandigarh has been nominated in February this year, and will be reviewed in June 2016.