Recently, six heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh have been included in the tentative United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on social media, extending his congratulations to the state's people.
The sites featured in the new list encompass Gwalior Fort, the Historical Group of Dhamnar, Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, Rock Art Sites of Chambal Valley, Khooni Bhandara, Burhanpur, and God Memorial of Ramnagar, Mandla, as per the chief minister's declaration on X.
Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Srivastava shed light on the painstaking efforts invested in securing the inclusion of the underground water structure, Khooni Bhandara, in UNESCO's World Heritage list.
"In 2010, efforts were initiated to include the underground water structure Khooni Bhandara in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage. In 2013, a UNESCO team inspected this structure," Srivastava recounted. "All the deficiencies highlighted by them were rectified.
Presently, the district administration, municipal corporation administration, and Madhya Pradesh government have devised an action plan to enhance facilities here, considering the imminent influx of domestic and international tourists and researchers."
Burhanpur's BJP MLA Archana Chitnis lauded the inclusion of Burhanpur's historical Khuni Bhandar in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a significant achievement. She traced its inception back to 2006, with active efforts commencing in 2010, culminating in a UNESCO team inspection in 2013. "Upon my visit, it was noted that there was no approach road to include Khooni Bhandara in the UNESCO World Heritage Site," Chitnis shared.
"To address this deficiency, we allocated special funds from the government and facilitated the construction of an approach road along with a railway overbridge, which is on the verge of completion. It is imperative that the name of Khooni Bhandara be enshrined in the permanent list, and thus, an action plan is underway to facilitate potential domestic and foreign tourists and researchers," she added.
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