The efforts of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to get the UNESCO World Heritage status for the 600-year-old city received major boost at a heritage conference being organised in the city.
The three-day international conference on 'Asian World Heritage Cities' is being organised by AMC in association with UNESCO, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Indian Heritage Cities Network, and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
The conference is attended by representatives from Asian heritage cities in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Every year only two cities from a country get nomination for claiming the status.
Significantly, despite India's vast and ancient heritage, no Indian city has qualified so far for 'UNESCO World Heritage City' status.
The Indian Heritage Cities Network was founded in September 2006 at an international conference held in Jaipur, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. The Network provides a platform for sharing experience and expertise for the sustainable socio-economic and cultural development of India's historic cities.