The Botanical Garden located at Ooty (Udhagamandalam ) is looking forward to be awarded with the 'World Heritage Site' status, by UNESCO. The garden is already home to 16 heritage properties, which include a 20 million-year-old "kal maram" (fossil). The Botanical Garden, maintained by the State Horticulture Department, has applied for the global status. Backing the global recognition of the garden is the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which has erected a board naming the garden heritage site on the garden premises.
INTACH, a network of Nilgiris NGOs, Universal Affectionate Foundation, Primitive Toda and Kota tribal communities and Badagas Association, has urged UNESCO to declare the garden as a heritage site before the coming summer. It believes that global recognition will help enhance the tourism economy of the city. M Prakasam, Assistant Director of Horticulture - Botanical Garden, feels that the 16 heritage sites located at the one-and-a-half century-old garden are enough to make it eligible for the status of 'World Heritage Site'.
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