Historic City of Ahmadabad

• Low-impact research / monitoring activities (Lack of comprehensive and accurate documentation of the historic buildings of the property)
• Commercial development, Housing (Potential impact of new constructions and development projects on the western section of the property and its buffer zone)
• Management Systems / Management Plans (Lack of effective implementation of the Heritage Management Plan; Incomplete Local Area Heritage Plan; Lack of a visitor management plan) 
• Human resources (Need to enrich the Heritage Department at Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation with relevant capacity building and technical capacity)

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/1551/documents. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

• The documentation of historic buildings has progressed with 500 out of the 2,692 locally listed heritage buildings completed. Priority is given to buildings in most urgent need of conservation;
• Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) are undertaken for all new major constructions;
• The draft Heritage Conservation Plan (HCP) has been completed. It incorporates the Local Area Plan (Heritage Zones), Visitor Management Plan and Disaster Risk Preparedness Plan and will be finalised following public consultation. Annexures to the HCP include various relevant legal and policy texts, a report from an archaeological excavation, two HIA reports, timber conservation manual, timber procurement scheme, Urban Design Guidelines and other issues;
• Some issues have been identified arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the population density of the city, although the impacts on OUV are considered to be temporary;
• A number of initiatives have been implemented to alleviate traffic and pollution issues, such as a metro rail network and a new footbridge outside the western edge of the buffer zone;
• Priority has been given to monitoring the neglected ‘pol’ buildings and it is proposed to introduce penalties for wilful destruction and neglect of listed buildings;
• Two restoration projects have been completed based on Public-Private-People Partnerships: the Dhal Ni Pol Public Realm Improvement Project and the project for Rejuvenation of Lokmanya Tilak Garden Heritage Open Space;
• The State Party has outlined the process for developing the detailed map of the property and advises that this should be completed by 2025;
• Information has been provided about changes to improve the capacity of the Ahmadabad World Heritage City Trust (AWHCT).

On 13 April 2023, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party to request additional information and clarification concerning three documents: the Draft Conservation Management Plan, HIAs appended to it and the 2022 Urban Design Guidelines. These were included as annexes of the State Party’s state of conservation report and require technical review by the Advisory Bodies. On 10 May 2023, the State Party provided clarification of the three documents. The Advisory Bodies’ technical reviews are not yet available at the time of drafting this report.

The progress towards the documentation of historic buildings in Ahmadabad is welcomed and constitutes an essential foundation for the long-term conservation and management of the city’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The priority given to the documentation of buildings in urgent need of conservation is supported. The timing for the completion of this work for the remainder of the 2,192 locally registered buildings has been difficult to estimate, nevertheless, the State Party should be encouraged to continue it as a priority, notably the neglected ‘pol’ buildings. The detailed map of the property is also a vitally important documentation and management tool and is expected to be completed in 2025.

The completion of the draft HCP is also welcomed, noting that it will be finalised following public consultation. The HCP provides an overarching policy framework and incorporates the Local Area Plan (identifying Heritage Zones), Visitor Management Plan, Disaster Risk Preparedness Plan and a number of other guidelines, notably the 2022 Urban Design Guidelines. The World Heritage Centre has requested the State Party to submit the final draft for review by the Advisory Bodies. It is unclear why so many guidelines and reports are included as annexes to the HCP, but they are likely to be useful for the public consultation and demonstrate the efforts made by the AWHCT and Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation to establish an effective management system for the city following its inscription in the World Heritage List. The Urban Design Guidelines have undergone technical review by ICOMOS as these include planting and signage prescripts, which have a bearing on the OUV of the property.

The regular use of HIA for major constructions is noted. ICOMOS has undertaken a Technical Review on the HIA for the proposed Danapith Fire Station, highlighting areas for improvement of this impact assessment and general impact assessment practice. The State Party should be encouraged to consult the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context and to continue to enhance its approach to HIAs. The report that new Public-Private-People partnerships have enabled conservation projects to proceed is welcomed, although it is recommended that HIAs be applied to these projects as well as new major constructions.

Useful improvements to the capacity of the AWHCT are described by the State Party, including the merging of the AWHCT with the Heritage Department of the Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation, and the addition of a GIS analyst. The capacity building initiatives which have begun with local technical professionals and artisans is an important area of ongoing work for the AWHCT.