The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Lobbying or not, Taj Mahal will never lose its sheen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Lobbying or not, Taj Mahal will never lose its sheen

Current campaign for inclusion in seven wonders’ list not approved by UNESCO

Country being misled by campaign with commercial interests
PIL planned against the Central Government’s silence on the issue

HYDERABAD: Taj Mahal will not lose its status if the lovers of the magnificent edifice don’t vote for it for a place in the new Seven Wonders of the World. The reason is simple – the present campaign launched by a private organisation doesn’t have the backing of UNESCO.

World heritage status

Taj Mahal has already been given the world heritage status in 1983 and no private or public opinion can snatch that status away from it. In fact, UNESCO has posted a note on its website (http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/352) detaching itself from the present campaign. “In order to avoid any damaging confusion, UNESCO wishes to reaffirm that there is no link whatsoever between UNESCO’s World Heritage programme, which aims to protect world heritage, and the current campaign concerning ‘The New 7 Wonders of the World’, the posting on the UNESCO website reads. The posting on the website points out it was not a party to the ‘private initiative’ launched in 2000 by Bernard Weber.

Heritage lovers are annoyed that the country is being misled by a private campaign and the Government is silent on the issue when the sentiments of people are being exploited. “It is a purely private affair done for monetary and personal gains,” says N. Raghunandan Kumar, General Secretary, Planetary Society of India. “Unfortunately, people believe that the campaign has the Government backing and are proud of voting spending money that would go to a private organisation,” he says.

Big money

Heritage lovers say millions of Indians have voted for Taj Mahal using various modes and the kind of money generated is mind-boggling and none of this would be spent for preservation of the heritage sites. It is believed that the organisation has launched the campaign in the country spending Rs. 70 crore.

“Their commercial interests are very clear, but people are not aware of it,” says a heritage lover. He feels that heritage value cannot be defined with people’s sentiments and it is very clear in the UNESCO’s objectives also.

In fact, the note posted on the UNESCO also says that its mandate is to assist countries in identifying, protecting and preserving World Heritage. Acknowledging the sentimental or emblematic value of sites and inscribing them on a new list is not enough. The task is one of technical conservation and political persuasion.

There is also a clear educational role with respect to the sites’ inherent value, the threats they face and what must be done to prevent their loss.

The Planetary Society now plans to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Government’s silence on the issue.

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