Jaipur May Lose UNESCO Tag by December Over Illegal Construction: High Court
· India · Indian Express, India Today
The Rajasthan High Court has warned that the historic walled city of Jaipur risks losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status if effective remedial measures are not implemented before December 2026. Justice Pramil Kumar Mathur initiated suo motu proceedings after taking note of the alarming degradation of the Pink City's heritage due to unauthorized constructions and encroachments in core and buffer zones. The court has issued notices to 10 state and local authorities, directing the Jaipur Development Authority and municipal corporations to survey illegal structures and submit a report within two weeks. The bench noted that traditional palaces are steadily disappearing and being replaced by modern constructions that disrupt the city's cultural coherence without proper heritage impact assessments. UNESCO had previously raised these concerns in 2023 and 2025, but administrative efforts have remained substantially unaddressed.
Why it matters
The potential loss of UNESCO status would severely impact Jaipur's global tourism stature and local economy, while representing a failure to safeguard a protected historic legacy.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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