Jaipur City, Rajasthan

• Develop the Special Area Heritage Plan under Jaipur Master Plan 2025
• Complete the detailed heritage inventory for the property
• Improve the legal protection by introducing architectural control guidelines
• Extend the management system
• Develop a detailed monitoring program
• Establish an overall interpretation and presentation policy and program for the property

N/A

On 13 January 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1605/documents/ and addresses recommendations made at the time of inscription of the property in 2019 (Decision 43 COM 8B.16). While some delays have been experienced due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, progress has been achieved in the following areas:

• A Special Area Heritage Plan is being developed by Nagar Nigam Jaipur Heritage (NNJH), and six online workshops have been held on heritage management and planning in close cooperation with the UNESCO Office in New Delhi, which undertook a mission in April 2022;
• The high number of elements to be surveyed poses significant challenges. The detailed base map is under preparation using a GIS platform and high-resolution drone imagery. Physical surveys are in progress, including an architectural survey of the approximately 40,000 buildings in the property. The basic infrastructure for two chowkris has been completed, and two more are in progress. A draft inventory of 600 structures is being conducted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for heritage-graded structures in six chowkris. Elevation drawings of the current condition of all main bazaar facades have been updated;
• Social infrastructure surveys have been completed for all chowkris, and there is ongoing work to survey physical infrastructure (such as water supply, drainage, sewage and electrical lines);
• A consultant has developed a Detailed Project Report for the conservation of Parkota Wall, and the tender for Phase 1 Priority Works will open soon;
• Nagar Nigam Jaipur Heritage (Walled City) Heritage Conservation and Protection Bylaws were established in 2020, addressing gaps identified when the property was inscribed, including the composition and roles of the State Heritage Committee, Technical Heritage Committee and Heritage Cell. Architectural Control Guidelines have been drafted by the Heritage Cell and released for public comment. When completed, these will be annexed to the city bylaws;
• Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) have been conducted by the Heritage Cell for 15 listed projects being implemented by Jaipur Smart City Ltd, and HIA Guidelines have been developed for future public projects;
• A list of ongoing and completed conservation projects (2020-2021) and the nine planned projects for which HIAs are currently being conducted is provided;
• A detailed monitoring framework has been developed by the Heritage Cell.
• The Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts and Heritage (DRONAH) has prepared a draft Interpretation and Tourism Plan in collaboration with relevant stakeholder organisations. Stone plaques signifying Jaipur’s World Heritage status have been installed, and the design for new interpretive signs has been prepared by the Heritage Cell.

On 7 March 2022, the World Heritage Centre requested information from the State Party, in line with Paragraph 174 of the Operational Guidelines, following third-party reports of a demolition notice within the property. At the time of writing this report, the State Party has not yet responded to this request.

Progress has occurred with several recommendations made at the time of the property’s inscription in 2019. Continued progress toward the detailed base map and an integrated inventory of attributes are important ongoing priorities, along with further developing the capacity of the Heritage Cell of Nagar Nigam Jaipur Heritage. The improvements to the monitoring system are noted; however, it is considered that these require further elaboration to function effectively for this property. Capacity building discussions have highlighted the need to mobilise local communities and residents of the walled city for monitoring.

The application of HIA for a range of conservation, infrastructure and development projects is noted, and the State Party has recognised the need to further improve the HIA processes by developing additional guidelines. The Committee may wish to encourage the State Party to update this guidance in line with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, developed in collaboration between the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre. Several projects are listed in the State Party’s report; however, the World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies cannot provide comments without accompanying information. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide this information to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, at its earliest convenience.

Additionally, the Committee may request the State Party to submit detailed information on the status of projects indicated in the Advisory Body Evaluation report, such as the multi-storeyed car park at Chaugan stadium complex and the Jaleb Chowk redevelopment projects, and on any ongoing and planned works within the property or its buffer zone that may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, for review by the Advisory Bodies. In addition, the State Party is yet to provide any clarification in response to reports of demolition activities within the property.

Completing the Nagar Nigam Jaipur Heritage (Walled City) Heritage Conservation and Protection Bylaws, drafting Architectural Control Guidelines, and greater control over demolitions should strengthen the protection and management of the property. Therefore, the Committee may request that the State Party improve and finalise the legal protection of the property by introducing architectural control guidelines, including control over demolitions, and ensure that these planning documents align with the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL).

The UNESCO Office in New Delhi organised, together with key stakeholders, a training workshop on Special Area Heritage Plan in Jaipur (1-9 April 2022) and emphasised the required capacity building for site managers of the property. The Committee may therefore request the State Party to enhance the technical and management capacities of the Heritage Cell within the Jaipur Municipality.