J&K admin working towards getting Mughal Gardens listed as UNESCO's world heritage site

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday announced that they had been working towards getting the six Mughal Gardens in the Kashmir Valley listed under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) mandated world heritage sites. According to the Director of J&K's Department of Floriculture, LG Manoj Sinha issued orders on the up-gradation of restoration work of the six Mughal Gardens including Nishat, Shalimar, Cheshmashahi, Pari Mahal, Achabal and Veerinag. The J&K administration believes that this would help boost tourism in the Kashmir Valley considerably, especially in the post-pandemic world. 

"The Department of Floriculture in consultation with known professional reworked eight gardens of Jammu and Kashmir between 2005-2011. With the help of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) survey experts of UNESCO visited the valley to see the heritage value of Mughal gardens. Later in 2011, six of these gardens were in the tentative list of Heritage sites presented by the UNESCO," Farooq Ahmad Rather, Director, Department of Floriculture, Jammu and Kashmir told news agency ANI.

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Locals, tourists welcome move

The Director added that the administration along with a consultation team was preparing a dossier which will be presented to the UNESCO. "These gardens are part of our heritage and we have to preserve the same at any cost. After the historical Mughal garden makes it to UNESCO's heritage site list, it will attract a lot of tourists. Eventually, this will boost the tourism industry here," Rather added.

Tourists and locals are welcoming this move by the Jammu and Kashmir administration. "It is a great step by the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Getting consideration from UNESCO will help in boosting the economy in Srinagar," said Niyaz Ahmad Bhat, a local to ANI. 

"It is always good to visit Heritage Mughal Garden every year. It will be good for the people here if Heritage Mughal garden gets UNESCO's consideration," said Gopinath Tiwari a regular tourist and visitor of the Mughal gardens. 

(With ANI inputs)

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