Heard from UT in 2009: UNESCO

CHANDIGARH: Though UT has been claiming it has been trying hard to get world heritage status, UNESCO has pointed out that it last heard from the administration way back in 2009.
“Chandigarh was supposed to be part of a trans-boundary serial nomination. This nomination was submitted in 2009 to the world heritage committee, but the Chandigarh element was not part of it as signatures were not obtained in time,'' Nicole Bolomey, programme specialist for culture, UNESCO, told The Times of India.
He added that UNESCO was not aware of any fresh initiative by the administration to hand over a dossier this year.
UT had to face embarrassment in 2008 when it failed to send its case in time as the Archeological Survey of India, nodal agency for the project, asked it at the eleventh hour to seek concurrence from Punjab and Haryana governments as their offices were located in the buildings designed by Le Corbusier.
It was in July 2009 that UT decided to rework its claim and go in for a safer version with focus on the buildings designed by Corbusier. “In 2008, Chandigarh was expecting its entry to be joined with that of France, which also pertained to works of the master architect. That is not the situation now and administration has tried to improve its chances of making it to the list,'' said an official.
Once made part of UNESCO's permanent list, Chandigarh would not only join the league of cities like Tel Aviv, Brasilia and Le Havre (France), but also find a place on the international tourism map.