Delhi to be country’s first heritage city - The Hindu

Staff Reporter

ON THE HERITAGE ROUTE: With the proposed new heritage city status for Delhi, ancient monuments like Humayun’s Tomb here will acquire new pride of place on the Capital’s map.

NEW DELHI: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, better known as INTACH, will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Delhi Government on Thursday paving the way for Delhi’s emergence as the country’s first heritage city.

“Why should Delhi be modelled on Shanghai? It is a city that needs to be developed and presented as itself -- a heritage city,” said INTACH Delhi chapter convenor A. G. K. Menon on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the city would be able to enforce its status as a heritage city ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010.

“There are several advantages of being declared a heritage city. Tourism, business and economy will all see a boost if Delhi is promoted as a tourist destination. As of now the Capital is just a stopover for people who visit other tourist spots like Agra,” said Prof. Menon.

The MoU will pave the way for development of parks and heritage sites and ensure conservation of monuments not covered by the Archaeological Survey of India.

“According to our list, there are about 1,200 monuments in the city. However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) are yet to recognise these as monuments,” Prof. Menon said.

The effort, he added, would be to bring the monuments closer to the Capital’s citizens, who in turn would help in their preservation.

To integrate heritage and urban design, INTACH has planned out a “heritage route” which will serve as a corridor for viewing of various monuments across the city. “To have this heritage route we do not require any additional money from the Delhi Government. Streetlights are already being worked on, development works like roads and signboards are being carried out, and our mandate will be to make design contributions and bring the monuments together. For instance, we will work on creating a heritage route from Red Fort to Humayun’s Tomb. There are several heritage sites along the route that people are not aware of. Later this route will be connected to Safdurjung Tomb and Qutub Minar,” Prof. Menon said.

INTACH is also forging agreements with other nations and cultural organisations, which in turn will help in exchange of ideas and expertise. INTACH Chairperson S. K. Misra will soon be travelling to Britain to sign an agreement with Prince Charles’ “The Prince’s Charities”.

“The agreement will pave the way for exchange of expertise and research and allow collaborations in conservation of heritage and monuments. We are also exploring how the corporate sector can be roped in to help in the conservation of heritage sites,” Mr. Misra added.

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