The year 2014 was significant on the heritage front as well. The proposal for nomination of Delhi as a world heritage city seemed to have hit a hurdle at the eleventh hour with the Centre questioning the implications of this Unesco inscription. 

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The dossiers for the nomination tag were prepared by India National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), Delhi chapter. The preliminary dossier was submitted 2013 and the fi nal one submitted in January this year. Following this, a team from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) visited the nominated sites of Shahjahnabad and Lutyens' Bungow Zone in October. Now, all eyes are on Unesco, which is scheduled to announce in June, 2015 whether the city has made the cut or not.

The UD ministry, meanwhile, has its own concerns as fears that a "world heritage city" tag may "restrict urban development in these areas because any new development will have to be in conformity with operational guidelines and accepted conservation guidelines under World Heritage Convention, 1972". Even conservationists have raised questions as to why the Centre is getting the jitters now when the nomination was at such an advanced stage. Ministry offi cials maintained they should be kept apprised of any developments and were concerned about what would be the repercussions for Delhi in the event of getting the tag.