AHMEDABAD: Unesco’s World Heritage Centre has finally reacted to the state of conservation report by the civic body for the Walled City as well as media reports.
In its December report, Unesco put forth the concerns of its thinktank, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), in particular about construction of new buildings on the western side of the core walled heritage city zone and its buffer zone. The ASI and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had indicated that no high-rise development would be permitted, but it was not clear whether this provision applied to the buffer zone as well as the inscribed world heritage area.
“…But it is not clear from the material provided by the state party (Archaeological Survey of India) whether these have now been fully addressed,” the Unesco report states.
Unesco also took note of “media reports that had highlighted problems associated with traffic congestion, pollution and neglected pol buildings in poor condition”.
The ASI’s response of May 2018 regarding the efforts of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to monitor and address long-term challenges had been noted by the world body, the report said.
In 2019, the ASI provided information about the Hutheesing Jain temple, noting “some conservation work had been completed, but further restoration works awaited the required financial resources”.
The Unesco report also drew attention to civil society’s concerns regarding the state of the tomb of Hazarat Qutub-e-Aalam, demonstrating the scale of conservation needed for the building.
It is also recommended that Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) be applied to heritage restoration projects, since these can have an impact on the value of property, which should be understood in advance.
Unesco, however, welcomed improvements to the local development regulations to support conservation of the heritage fabric of Ahmadabad — particularly for restoration of pol houses.
“While a number of tourism and visitor management actions have been implemented, creation of the Visitor Management Plan is considered an essential component of the management system,” the Unesco report noted. It also recalled the WHC’s recommendation that the Local Area Plan (LAP) be completed, with a special focus on conservation of wooden houses.
