NEW DELHI:
Voices advocating for a World Heritage Site tag for Majuli got a shot in the arm after the Assam government entrusted Majuli Cultural Landscape Management Authority (MCLMA) to finalise the nomination dossier for UNESCO’s revered tag.
Informing the same, G Kishan Reddy, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), on February 3, said, “The Assam government has fixed the submission of nomination dossier by February, 2023.”
The announcement made by Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday assumes significance following the fact that Majuli, the largest river island in the world, earlier lost the opportunity to get the World heritage tag.
Reddy also said that an amount of Rs 38 Lakh has been earmarked in the current financial year for the preparation of nomination dossier.
UNESCO had earlier asked the state government to assemble more information on the Sattras (Vaishnavite monastic institutions) on the island and the way they have influenced the landscape patterns and the overall interaction between people and nature in Majuli.
“Amplify the management plan to take account of the specific nature of Sattra landscapes and buildings, the interrelationship between people and nature, the potential for traditional farming practices to sustain biodiversity, the need to codify traditional knowledge, the conservation and development of traditional architecture, a cultural tourism strategy and approaches to sustainable development,” the UNESCO has said.
Reddy was replying to a question raised by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MP Birendra Prashad Baishya in the Rajya Sabha.
“The World Heritage Committee in March 2012 had informed that the nomination dossier of River Island of Majuli Cultural Landscape in Assam did not conform to the Operational Guidelines format and parameters,” said Reddy.