In 2011, when this columnist was chasing a story on Elephanta Island, the ominous threat to its famed caves, our city’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1987), became all the more obvious. In course of my exhaustive on-field legwork, it became distinctly evident how it had deteriorated since my earlier visits on school picnics and college day trips that were more rushed affairs. Poor infrastructure and unchecked development had left ugly scars everywhere. Graffiti was noticeable everywhere and water seepage added to the eyesores. Tasteless restoration of some of the pillars in the left wing of the main cave raised an alarm even to my untrained eye. To the right of the main cave, a makeshift asbestos sheet ensured that water from the roof of the caves flowed directly into a natural well below. My guide at the time revealed that ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) installed this sheet every monsoon. The pillars came up about five years before that visit. The ancient caves are cleaned with chemicals every five years, he told us. When we later reached out to a senior official at Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), he stated that it was the ASI’s job to maintain the caves while they looked after the upkeep of the outside section. Four years later, when I revisited the caves for a bird and bat trail, the scars from that previous trip resurfaced, and the ruin seemed more worrisome. The fate of these islanders who continue to grapple with lack of basic facilities and infrastructure mirrors the plight of these historic caves.

In comparison, the third and most recently inscribed WHS (secured in 2018)—the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensemble—is in safer hands, thanks to it being a living, breathing site. The victory was enabled by conscientious citizen groups in the area who continue to insure and ensure that its unique character remains intact. The lone aberration in this picture is the cast-iron Esplanade Mansion whose fate hangs in the balance as it remains mired in endless legal tangles between the state, landlord, and its tenants much to the dismay of its well-wishers. This one-of-a-kind architectural marvel was once known as the Watson’s Hotel and it remains a significant landmark from the early 20th century.

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Home to The Beatles and its famous football club, Liverpudlians are upset over losing the prestigious tag and have vowed to ensure the recent act doesn’t affect its urban heritage. How it will adversely affect its tourism and standing on the world stage is left to be seen. Venice narrowly missed losing its tag after it recently banned the entry of cruise liners into its threatened lagoons and canals. The Great Barrier Reef is another site that avoided being pushed into the endangered list after hectic lobbying; environmentalists in both cases are unhappy about the leniency in letting both sites off the hook.

In these post-pandemic times, where governments have to bolster battered economics and reinstall public confidence in its health infrastructure, preserving its heritage might be at the bottom of their priority list. Yet, these sites remain part of our identity, our history and, at the end of the day, are tourist draws. A more focused, expert-driven and collaborative approach is the need of the hour to ensure these sites remain in good health without causing reason for review by UNESCO’s watchdogs.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana

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