Maharashtra: CM gives a push to creation of historic forts' tourist circuit

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked Pune district collector to identify two acres of land at the foothills of the historic Rajgad fort and Lohagad in Pune district so that actual work for creating a tourist circuit of such forts in Maharashtra can be commenced. Fadnavis has sent a letter to collector Saurabh Rao; the Pune district administration has already started the process of identifying such government or private land for the purpose.

There are 10 historic forts from Pune district that would be part of this tourist circuit, because Pune was the place from where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj started his campaign for establishing self-rule (Swarajya) by launching a campaign against the Mughals.

The state government will be developing these historic spots into tourist centres so that the state's rich heritage can be effectively exhibited to the world in addition to earning revenue. The government will also be developing a state-of-the-art information centre along with the exhibition to depict the history of the fort and life of Shivaji Maharaj relevant to the spot. It will also sell handicrafts from local artisans as well as house a restaurant for the tourists.

The BJP, during its campaign for the 2014 assembly elections, had a tagline "Shiv Chhatrapatincha Aashirwaad, Chalo Chale Modiji ke Saath" to cash in not only on prime minister Narendra Modi's wave, but also on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's name; the latter used to be the agenda of other parties, especially the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

After taking charge, culture minister Vinod Tawde had set up a committee of experts to look into the aspects of conservation of forts. Because the historic forts fall under Archeological Survey of India's (ASI's) jurisdiction, Fadnavis also had a talk with the ASI office in Delhi and requested it to lend a hand by putting ASI state office and experts on the task.

Among the forts that will be part of the tourist circuit are Shivneri, where Shivaji Maharaj was born, Rayareshwar, where he took oath to fight against the invaders for creating Swarajya or self-rule in the district, and the one at Rajgad where he had his capital for 26 years, besides Torana and Lohagad-Visapur.