The claim by Indian Express that UNESCO might “revoke” the world heritage tag from the Darjeeling toy train is false. The UNESCO representative for India in his letter also insists the media to approach them in case of any doubts rather than publishing misleading reports.
Recently, Indian Express published an article that talks about the Darjeeling toy train and its poor maintenance. It highlights the fact that UNESCO might revoke the world heritage tag of the Darjeeling toy train.
As per the report:
India’s continuing failure to conserve the 140-year-old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), a World Heritage Site, has prompted UNESCO to take steps to assess the state of the railway system and see whether the property is worth the global heritage tag.
However, the official account of Northeast Frontier Railway has posted a tweet attaching a letter from Eric Falt who is the UNESCO representative of India.
Their tweet mentions that this letter from the UNESCO representative “dispels any misconception about the secure future of this jewel in the crown of NFR”. The representative in the letter says that even though the article was written based on the conclusions of the meeting, the headline used by them is misleading as the Indian government is yet to confirm about monitoring teams being sent by UNESCO. Reading the article, it can be understood that the Indian Express article highlights on the fact that UNESCO might revoke to world heritage tag in the near future. “ As per UNESCO guidelines, Reactive Monitoring teams are sent in when a World Heritage Site is in danger and may require to be removed from the prestigious global list” reads the article.
However, this was clarified by the UNESCO representative as he highlights the decision taken by the World Heritage Committee in its annual meeting which was conducted in Azerbaijan. He says that Reactive Monitoring teams are sent after a request invitation has been sent to them from the state parties (India). This monitoring team will help the state parties to “assess” the state of the property, to “identify” and “report” on priorities and “formulate recommendations” to prevent further erosion of the property.
He also details on the extensive support that UNESCO has offered to the Indian Railways and how it works “very closely” with the Executive Director of the Indian Railways to finalise a good conservation plan for the property. He also insisted that UNESCO is very much available to the media and that any clarifications can be addressed to them. Towards the end of the letter he mentions that even though there are several threats to the DHR, UNESCO will “proudly keep the railway on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list”.
In conclusion, it is misleading information published by Indian Express that UNESCO might “revoke” the world heritage tag from the Darjeeling toy train, whereas, it will formulate a plan and assess the government in conserving the same once the confirmation is provided by the government. The UNESCO representative for India in his letter also insists the media to approach them in case of any doubts rather than publishing misleading reports.
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Samyuktha Mirra
Contact: @@Samyuktha_Mirra
Bachelors of Journalism, psychology and English from Christ University
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