JOIN USThe letter, addressed to the Joint Director, Wildlife, MoEF, is undersigned by the under secretary of the forest department.
Officials in the department said that the letter was earlier sent to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is presently in Kerala, for his perusal, before being dispatched to MoEF.
The letter also requests MoEF to withdraw the nominations submitted to Unesco. Officials said that this was a routine procedure and that the letter was furnished after the pros and cons were weighed by the government.
More information sought
In 2009, Unesco had returned India’s dossier on Western Ghats seeking more information. India had first submitted its dossier on Western Ghats for Unesco’s heritage status in March 2006.
The dossier provides details on seven sub-clusters in the region and the 39 sites. The sub-clusters include Agasthymalai sub-cluster (with five site elements), Periyar ( six site elements), Annamalai (7), Nilgiri (6), Talacauvery (6), Kudremukh (5) and Sahyadri (4).
Western Ghats has now again been listed on the agenda for discussion at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee scheduled to meet in Paris between June 19 and 29.
According to the committee website (updated in May) 42 sites from 40 countries will be considered for inscription in the world heritage site list during the meeting.