World Heritage Site tag for Majuli likely Spl correspondent NEW DELHI, Jan 11 – In an encouraging development, Majuli Island may finally make it to the World Cultural Heritage Site, with top official of UNESCO today hinting at the likely inclusion of the centre of Vaishnav culture this year. Talking to newsmen, Director and UNESCO Representative to India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, Armoogum Parsuramen said that of the 80 odd representations received from India, case of Majuli Island being accorded the status is bright. This year Majuli Island is likely to be cleared. An announcement is expected to be made soon, he added.
Heritage sites are inscribed in the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO. There are 22 cultural sites of India in the list. None of them have been put in the “List of World Heritage in danger” by the WHC, official sources said.
The heritage sites are considered for inscription as World Heritage Sites in future. Of the 27 cases forwarded for inscription so far, the case of Majuli Island and Namdapha National Park of Arunachal Pradesh is pending.
India had missed the chance on earlier two occasions, as the WHC rejected the bid on technical ground. UNESCO has asked India to compile a list of monasteries in Majuli.
The then Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni had told Parliament that World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, while dismissing the inscription of the River Island on the 2008 World Heritage list, recommended that a complete list of the 31 surviving Sattaras, or Vaishnavite monasteries, on the island be made.
A complete list of the 31 surviving Sattaras on the island as a preliminary to considering which Sattaras might have the potential to demonstrate outstanding universal value and allowing an International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) evaluation mission to visit the property are some of the recommendations of the World Heritage Council, Soni had said
In July 2008, the mountain railways of India, which includes Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway and Matheran Hill Railway, made it to the World Heritage List. Majuli, however, did not make it.
The Council has also recommended an appraisal of the overall river basin in which Majuli lies and the potential impact of upstream development, deforestation and building of dams, in order to ascertain whether managed retreat is the only realistic approach to the flooding and erosion process, Soni said.
After the rejection, the Prime Minister’s Office took initiative and started monitoring preparation of the dossier and progress on a regular basis.
