Forest department allots space for 71 local stalls atop Sinhagad Fort

The decision comes after the forest department undertook an anti-encroachment drive at Sinhagad fort on November 18 wherein several illegal food stalls were removed

The stalls at Sinhagad fort that were razed by the forest department have now been given dedicated space behind the forest guesthouse atop the fort, officials said. In a meeting held late evening Friday at Sinhagad fort, the forest department decided to allocate a large space for 71 locals to relocate and set up their food stalls. The decision comes after the forest department undertook an anti-encroachment drive at Sinhagad fort on November 18 wherein several illegal food stalls from the foothills to the top of the fort were removed by a team of officials and workers. These illegal stalls had cropped up over the years taking the total number of such stalls to 135 and causing inconvenience not just to vehicles but also tourists visiting the fort.

The stalls at Sinhagad fort that were razed by the forest department have now been given dedicated space behind the forest guesthouse atop the fort. (HT PHOTO)

Bhamburda range forest officer Deepak Pawar said that they held a meeting with the villagers in which the matter was amicably discussed and most of the villagers agreed that too many stalls were hampering the view and beauty of the historic fort.

“We held a meeting and under the nature tourism scheme, we have worked on giving them alternative income options and also given them the option of providing 10x10 stalls made of bamboo and tadpatri and not using tin sheds. We have allocated space behind the forest guesthouse atop the fort and they will all be in one place rather than being spread across the fort. Over the years, tourists have been complaining about too many stalls hampering views of the fort and becoming a nuisance to Sinhagad’s historic value,” Pawar said.

As part of its anti-encroachment drive, the forest department removed 135 illegal stalls that had been set up since 2002 after serving them notices thrice and informing them to remove encroachments failing which they would carry out the task themselves. According to Pawar, a survey had found that only 71 stalls belonged to local villagers who earned their livelihood by selling local delicacies at the fort. The survey had been carried out using Google maps and mapping the original stalls put up since 2000 by villagers from Avsarwadi, Sinhagad, Mardari, Kalyan peth, Koliwada, Atkarwadi, Golewadi (Donje) and Kondanapur, Pawar said.

According to the forest department, Sinhagad forest is located in a protected forest area which is why notices had been served to the locals under the Reserve Forest Act 1927 and 1980. The first notice seeking removal of encroachments had been issued on April 15, 2017; followed by the second one on Oct 13, 2017; and the third and last one on May 5.

All said, Sinhagad fort has been an intrinsic part of the lives of many local villagers. Nana Chavan, a stall owner, recalled climbing the fort to sell fresh tak (buttermilk). “I am glad that the forest department is considerate towards old, local villagers and our daily jobs of serving food. I agree that over the period, too many food stalls have come up hampering views of the fort. The space newly allotted is fine but since it is flat land atop the fort, the tourists will have to sit in the hot sun and that might hamper the business,” Chavan said.

Annirudh Yadav, a local from the village Mordari, said that his father had set up the very first stall in the parking lot which is now a bone of contention between the stall owners and the forest department.

“We are urging forest officials to allow at least 11 stalls of local villagers who have been here for the last 30 to 50 years to serve senior citizens and physically handicapped people who come with their families to the fort but don’t climb to the top. If we are allowed to set up stalls in the parking lot, there is a space behind the toilets, and we could help serve such people,” Yadav said. He suggested that the forest department come out with a set of rules for every stall owner to follow. He suggested a two-month trial period to check if the stalls in the parking lot were actually inconveniencing tourists and vehicles.