Hill Forts of Rajasthan

• Housing (Urban development in wider setting of Chittorgarh Fort)
• Mining (Industrial mining activities in wider setting of Chittorgarh Fort)
• Management systems / Management Plan (Interpretation strategy for the overall ensembles of palaces, temples and fortifications)
• Management activities (Vulnerabilities of certain individual structures within the forts requiring short-term conservation actions at Jaisalmer and Chittorgarh Forts)
• Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure
• Illegal activities
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Industrial areas

N/A

On 1 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/247/documents/. Progress with several conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

• The Jaisalmer Fort Management Authority (JFMA) is being established in accordance with the Urban Development Act of the Government of Rajasthan and will implement the Management Plan and regulations under the direction of the State-level Fort Apex Advisory Committee;
• The Site Management Plan (SMP) for Jaisalmer Fort has been adopted by the State-level Fort Apex Advisory Committee and will be given legal status under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act once the JFMA is established;
• Following the completion of these processes, regulations arising from the SMP for heritage conservation and building repairs will be introduced;
• Ongoing implementation issues include traffic management and parking problems, unauthorized hotels and restaurants, waste disposal, undergrounding of electricity cables, and lighting improvements;
• Regular monitoring of unauthorised constructions is being undertaken;
• Many residential properties have no clear ownership titles (apart from those owned by major trustees), creating difficulties for the government to take conservation actions;
• Visitation is an acknowledged pressure on the property, and changes have been made to improve visitor management;
• Preparation of a plan to assess the impacts of recovery from disasters is in progress, and risk assessments are used to prioritise structural interventions to dilapidated structures;
• The promotion of tourism, road improvements, an annual festival and other events are important for livelihood generation;
• Tourism planning to promote and protect traditional arts and crafts is in progress;
• According to the National Policy for Conservation (2014), annual plans for conservation are prepared as well as the five-year plan for Jaisalmer Fort;
• The Pitching Wall and Bastion no. 38 of Jaisalmer Fort have been the primary focus of conservation works since 2015-2016 onwards. These are largely completed and the technical estimation for conservation of Bastions no. 44 and 45 has recently been completed;
• Progress on conservation projects at the Chittorgarh Fort includes completion of repairs to the Rampuriya Gate and desilting of water bodies;
• All development projects within the property and its buffer zones are subject to Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA);
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has commissioned a sub-circle under its ‘Jodhpur Circle’ to carry out monitoring at Jaisalmer Fort, which reports to the State-level Apex Committee and the Government of India. No issues have been identified to date;
• No mining or blasting activity has occurred in the area surrounding the Chittorgarh Fort.

The information that the SMP for Jaisalmer Fort will be formally included within the legal frameworks for the protection and management of the property once the Jaisalmer Fort Management Authority (JFMA) has been established is welcomed. It is noted that, once established, the JFMA will derive funds for its management activities from tourism-related activities. The State Party should be advised to be cautious regarding significant reliance on tourism-related income to fund the core management and protection activities for World Heritage, as these do not necessarily constitute sustainable means of funding. Based on the information received, it is not known whether the State Party has responded to the suggestions for improvement, which were made in Decision 44 COM 7B.25 in 2021.

The State Party indicates that determining the ownership of all buildings and spaces within the Jaisalmer Fort is not straightforward, and that this creates issues for the programming of conservation works. It is not clear what possible solutions exist, but it is nevertheless important to continue encouraging the State Party to address this matter.

Efforts for improved visitor management are noted. However, no information was provided about progress towards a full visitor management plan, which would be an important component of the management system for the property. Progress also appears limited in relation to the requested sub-plans for risk preparedness and livelihood generation, although the State Party has summarised relevant issues and indicated the local benefits from tourism initiatives and road improvements. These initiatives are noted, but the establishment of strategic and coordinated approaches could be enhanced through the development of the sub-plans that have been previously requested by the Committee.

It is understood that annual conservation plans are prepared, in line with the National Heritage Policy (2014), although their contents are not described in detail. Similarly, the existence of the five-year action plan for Jaisalmer Fort is noted. The State Party should be invited to submit the next Annual Conservation Plan as well as the five-year plan for Jaisalmer Fort to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies. The fact that works to the Pitching Wall and Bastion no. 38, which started in 2015-2016, are nearing completion should be welcomed, along with the updated information provided about current conservation programmes. Nonetheless, the development of a comprehensive Conservation Plan and a detailed Maintenance Plan, recommended in previous Committee decisions, remain an urgent priority.

The work of the ASI Jodhpur Circle to provide monitoring at the Jaisalmer Fort is welcomed, although the details submitted did not allow to determine whether this meets the monitoring standards for World Heritage properties. A systematic monitoring regime is required, based on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, the mitigation of key pressures, and the state of conservation of all attributes. If not already in place, this would represent a key component of the management system for the entire serial property.

Finally, the confirmation by the State Party that all development projects within the property and its buffer zones, including conservation and restoration projects, new visitor facilities and major adaptive reuse projects, are subject to HIAs should be welcomed. These should be carried out in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context.