Hyderabad, Varanasi and Ajmer-Pushkar have been selected for Inclusive Heritage-Based City Development Programme (IHCDP) on a pilot basis.
Revealing this at workshop held at Jubilee Hall here on Monday, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu said heritage conservation committees would be formed, the existing position of heritage structures analysed and development strategies planned for the three selected cities as part of the programme. If found successful, the project will be implemented in all the heritage cities.
Heritage sites should not look like decaying structures and should be protected from encroachments, he said.
“Urbanisation is putting a lot of pressure on heritage structures. People residing around the monuments should protect them. The government should strive to develop heritage sites, he said.
The World Bank and the City Alliance are supporting the pilot programme at the request of the department of economic affairs and the ministry of urban development.
The Paris-based UNESCO is also supporting the programme. A National steering committee of MoUD, MoUHUPA, DEA and ministry of culture is monitoring the programme.
Krishna Babu said public representatives should also be made stakeholders for the development of heritage structures. “We should see that heritage monuments are protected and restored to their pristine glory. The outcome of the workshop pertaining to City Development Programme will be placed before the central government,’’ he said.
Stefania Abakerli of World Bank said Indian cities were rich in heritage but poor in living conditions. “As India is in early the urbanisation stage, it should learn lessons from developed countries and not commit the mistakes the others had made,’’ she said.
Under the National River Conservation Programme, 17 km of Musi will be developed on the lines of the Sabarmati after due finalisation of the maximum flood level (MFL) for Musi and GHMC is inviting suggestions in this regard in the next 20 days. [The New Indian Express]