UNESCO on Saturday declared Ahmedabad as the first World Heritage City of India. During the nominations that took place last year, the city was chosen from the list which also included Delhi and Mumbai. It was Emperor Ahmed Shah who founded the city which is 606-year-old. The decision was announced by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO after a meeting in Krakwo, Poland.
The walled city of Ahmedabad has as many as 26 ASI-protected structures, various sites which are associated with Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi who spent his years in the city from 1915 to 1930 and hundreds of ‘pols’ or neighbourhoods with centuries old residences.
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to UNESCO took to Twitter on Saturday and wrote, “Thrilled to announce! Ahmedabad has just been declared India’s first #WorldHeritage city by @UNESCO”.
There were many countries such as Turkey, Cuba, Poland and Lebanon which also supported Ahmedabad’s nomination. Many architects believe that this will give a boost to the tourism in the city and also believe that the award given to the city should not be taken for granted.
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Hailing the decision taken by the UNESCO, architect and conservation specialist Rajdeep Routh said, “We have to set an example for the rest of the country as professionals, citizens and stakeholders. This status would also mean a sharp rise in property prices in the old city. I have observed the rise in price in the last five years, but now it will start shooting up.”
BJP president Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took to Twitter on Saturday to welcome the announcement made by the UNESCO declaring Ahmedabad as the first world heritage city of India.
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