At the 23rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was inscribed on the
list of World Heritage sites. Only two railways have this status,
the Semmering Railway in Austria being the other.
UNESCO's Criteria for the DHR to be eligible
for the World Heritage Status:
....."Criteria (ii) The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding
example of the influence of an innovative transportation system
on the social and ecomomic development of a multi-cultural region,
which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many
parts of the world."
....."Criteria (iv) The Development of the railways in the 19th
century had a profound influence on social and economic developments
in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an
exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway."
A Brief description of the DHR stated
by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee :
"The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the first, and still the
most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in
1881, it applied bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the
problems of etablishing an effective rail link cross a mountainous
terrain of great beauty. It is still fully operational and retains
most of its original features intact."
How did the DHR achieve World Heritage
Status?
Application for the World Heritage Status can be made only by
the State Party under whose jurisdiction the site is located,
and involves the preparation of a very detailed document to rigorous
requirements laid down by UNESCO. Indian Railways on behalf of
the Government of India, prepared an application for the DHR's
inclusion on the World Heritage List, and submitted it to UNESCO
in mid 1998. Dr. Robert Lee, in his capacity as consultant to
UNESCO's International Council On Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS),
visited the reailway in February 1999. Dr. Lee's report was considered
by UNESCO and further information collected from the Government
of India. The World Heritage Committee meets once a year, and
at the meetingheld in Morocco at the end of November 1999, the
DHR was accorded World Heritage site status.
What does World Heritage Status mean
for the DHR?
Now that the DHR has World Heritage status, the Government of
India is obliged to care for the railway and to give a conservation
report every five years to UNESCO. The Government of India must
prepare a consevation and management plan for the DHR which includes
proposals to restore and maintain the buildings and permanent
way. There are no direct monetary awards attached to World Heritage
status, but there is a World Heritage Fund which will consider
applications for modest grants to help with consevation. These
grants can be given, gor instance, for emergency work, training
of local personnel or technical cooperation.
A detailed report on the "
23rd
Session, Marrakesh, Morroco"
