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DHR World Heritage Area Stakeholder Workshop; 14 to 18th January 2002

Recommendations

1. Management

It is recommended that the Indian Railways establish a DHR Conservation and Management Unit responsible for the World Heritage Area taking into consideration the following aspects:

Location - Located in the hills at a central place like Kurseong.

Director - Directed by a CEO.

Reporting - CEO reports to the Railway Board through the Secretary.

Advisory Mechanism - Secretary, Railway Board convenes twice a year an Advisory Committee consisting of stakeholders delegates.

Planning - CEO responsible for the development and implementation of a detail DHR Conservation Management Plan and its periodic review.

Strategic Partnerships - CEO enters into negotiations and MoUs with relevant professional agencies, stakeholder agencies and NGOs identified in the Conservation Management Plan.

Cost Centre - The DHR Conservation and Management Unit will have a separate cost centre.

2. Conservation Management Plan

It is recommended that the Indian Railways through the DHR Conservation and Management Unit facilitate the drafting and implementation of a comprehensive Conservation Management Plan in the next year.

It is suggested that the following elements form the core structure of the plan, which will take the form a master plan for all aspect of conservation and sustainable development of the DHR World Heritage Area and its immediate hinterland.

Establishment of the draft methodology and awareness campaign.

Stakeholders mapping and participation framework.

Documentation and cultural mapping.

Asset management and development plan.

Conservation Plan. (Includes EIS and monitoring systems & heritage tourism guidelines)

Interpretation Plan.

Public programming.

Marketing and tourism plan.

Evaluation framework.

3. Buffer Zone

Considering that a Buffer Zone of a World Heritage Area is the hinterland delineated and established based on a set of appropriate criteria and systematic mapping of all natural and cultural elements and their use to minimize negative impacts on the World Heritage Area and conflicts between conservation and development.

It is recommended that the Indian Railways through the DHR Conservation and Management Unit and in partnership with the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, Government of West Bengal and other relevant agencies identified in the Conservation Management Plan facilitate a multi agency process that leads to appropriate legal frameworks so that awareness raising, responsible planning and notification are possible for the protection of the DHR World Heritage Area.

4. Local Stakeholder Forum

It is recommended that the relevant (to the DHR World Heritage Area) local Stakeholders, NGOs and neighboring communities come together under a co-coordinating mechanism into a Forum auspiced with a secretariat through the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to:

Facilitate strategic partnerships with DHR Management and Conservation Unit,

Provide advise and participate in planning processes; and

Identify the opportunities for the stakeholders in complementary project development with DHR World Heritage Area.

(Facilitated by Profesor Amareawar Galla, Principal Technical Adviser to the UNESCO sponsored Workshop and endorsed unanimously by all the participants on Friday 18th November 2001)

Contributed by R.K.Baid, Siliguri