AP Chambers identifies 5 sites to claim world heritage tag

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) in an online interactive meeting on Monday on the "Identification of Potential Sites and Monuments in Andhra Pradesh for world heritage tag' identified five sites in AP for proposing to the World Heritage list.

These sites include Lepakshi temples, Gandikota Grand Canyon and Fort, Belum Caves, Guntupalli Buddhist Site and Salihundam Buddhist site. The virtual meeting deliberated the process to get these sites qualified and discussed what the State government has to do to get these sites listed. A tentative action plan to get the world heritage tag for these sites was also drawn.

As AP has 129 monuments of national importance, AP Chambers has taken the lead in organising a webinar with leading experts to identify the potential sites and monuments from AP to initiate the process for submission and necessary homework.

CEO of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority S Satyanarayana was the guest of honour for the virtual meeting and APTDC chairman Dr A Vara Prasad Reddy was the chief guest.

Retired Deputy Superintending Archaeologist Ch Babji Rao stated that out of 1,154 sites listed as world heritage sites by UNESCO not one site from AP is part of it. He said that as UNESCO has enough cultural monuments, their focus now is on natural and mixed sites. "Extensive human habitation and urbanisation is the greatest threat to the potential sites. To propose a site, the entire area needs to be surveyed, the buffer zone needs to be marked and the site needs to be properly managed. The property needs to be first enlisted in the tentative list. There are 48 sites in the tentative list and there is no site from AP on that list. UNESCO considers only 35 sites every year for the World Heritage Tag. He mentioned the guidelines that have to be followed to propose sites to the tentative list.

CEO of Pleach India Foundation Eemani Siva Nagi Reddy described the uniqueness of each potential site and the universal values of the sites and why they are potential candidates for world heritage tag.

Director Heritage Foundation Bhujang Ramrao Bobade, Jayashree Hatangadi, K Vijaya Mohan, Tarun Kakani and Ranga Reddy opined that the world heritage site listing will attract worldwide attention and give a tremendous boost to tourism in the State. AP Chambers' office bearers, president KVS Prakash Rao, president-elect Pydah Krishna Prasad, general secretary Potluri Bhaskara Rao and chairman of AP Chambers Tourism Committee K Lakshminarayana also participated.