PUNE The central government has given a nod for restoration and conservation of the historical Shaniwar Wada fort in the city.
“The Shaniwar Wada is a priceless heritage and of historic value to the city and it is indeed welcoming that the restoration and conservation will be happening soon in phases,” said Mukta Tilak, ex-mayor during the press conference to state that the central government has taken cognizance of her letter regarding the sorry state of Shaniwar Wada.
“Over the years, the stone masonry work has weathered harsh weather conditions and the work done by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has not been up to the mark,” she said.
On November 8, 2021, Tilak received a letter from G Kishan Reddy, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India. He has replied to Mukta Tilak’s letter written on September 1, 2021, regarding the restoration of the historical Shaniwar Wada fort.
He writes, “The matter has been examined and the conservation and restoration of the fort wall have been taken up this year and in addition to this, the work of restoration of the historical painting at Delhi Darwaja will also be taken up at the earliest. ASI is undertaking all efforts for care and conservation of protected monuments in Maharashtra as per need of the monuments and as per the availability of resources.”
Uday Kulkarni, historian and retired surgeon from Armed Forces Medical College Pune (AFMC), was present with Tilak during the press conference. He said, “We had surveyed the Shaniwar Wada in April 2021 where we found that earlier restoration efforts were very shoddy and badly done. Cement has been used in places when it should not be used for historical places. There are big cement patches that are peeling off and also the main door known as Delhi Darwaza is also in a bad state. The arches above are devoid of the original paint, while the “Nagar Khana” is also not stable anymore. The paintings of Ganapati and Vishnu next to the ticketing window inside is also fading.”
{{/usCountry}}Uday Kulkarni, historian and retired surgeon from Armed Forces Medical College Pune (AFMC), was present with Tilak during the press conference. He said, “We had surveyed the Shaniwar Wada in April 2021 where we found that earlier restoration efforts were very shoddy and badly done. Cement has been used in places when it should not be used for historical places. There are big cement patches that are peeling off and also the main door known as Delhi Darwaza is also in a bad state. The arches above are devoid of the original paint, while the “Nagar Khana” is also not stable anymore. The paintings of Ganapati and Vishnu next to the ticketing window inside is also fading.”
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