Quick Take | Not in the pink
Jaipur could join a short list of ignominy that includes Dresden, Liverpool and Oman’s Oryx sanctuary as the only places to have won the Unesco World Heritage tag and then lost it. The walled Pink City, which won the tag in 2019, drew Unesco’s attention recently because of reports of encroachment, pollution and lack of preservation. The label ensures top billing among international tourists. The government told Parliament last August that, apart from the 44 heritage sites in India already tagged, there were 62 properties including the Mudumal menhirs in Telangana, Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Tamil Nadu and Padmanabhapuram Palace in Kerala on Unesco’s tentative list. If we want them to make it to the coveted final list, the least we need to do is preserve them well.