NEW DELHI: It took five years to get everything in order to pitch Delhi to Unesco for the world heritage city tag. But now, with the Centre developing cold feet about the restrictions that might accompany the prestigious tag, those involved in the project are feeling dejected.

Experts have rubbished Centre's apprehensions that the tag would stall development. "Protecting heritage is not about stopping development. The world heritage convention never says to stop development; it simply says that it has to be done in a planned manner. You cannot do ad hoc development in a heritage zone; you need to have a vision. Typically, what we do when a site is declared an important heritage zone is that we see those areas within which can be developed and what should be protected for future generations. A management plan for these areas is not about stopping changes, rather doing it in a planned approach," said Moe Chiba, programme specialist for culture at Unesco's Delhi office. Intach started out with nine heritage zones. But eventually, two zones—Lutyens' Bungalow Zone and Shahjahanabad—were frozen for the pitch. Both of these together take up less than 2% of Delhi's total area. Experts believe Delhi can learn from other heritage cities. 

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DDA, which is under the MoUD, has also specified that LBZ and Shahjahanabad should have special bylaws keeping in mind their distinct heritage character.

Experts add that a world heritage city tag would make the cluttered lanes of Old Delhi or the forgotten bungalows of LBZ more prominent and boost tourism. "After Delhi, there are other cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad or Varanasi which would also pitch for the the tag. Bringing in new apprehensions at this advanced stage of Delhi's nomination would not just be embarrassing for the country, but also set a bad precedent for other Indian cities vying for the tag in the future," said a conservationist.