The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO declared Ahmedabad as India’s first World Heritage City on Saturday late night after a meeting in Poland’s Krakwo. In June, members of the WHC visited Ahmedabad and had informed the Central govt that it has deferred Ahmedabad’s world heritage city nomination stating that it was not satisfied with the documentation related to the “outstanding universal values” for Ahmedabad’s walled city. Several countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Cuba and Poland supported Ahmedabad's nomination.
“It started as a small step in 1996 when we started the heritage cell. Since then we have people dedicated to heritage management… We will now have to ensure that we perfectly maintain the 2,600 odd heritage sites in the city,” Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad Mukesh Kumar said.
Spread over 5.43 sq km with a population of 3.75 to 4 lakh, the walled city of Ahmedabad was preferred over Mumbai and Delhi during the nominations last year.