Mumbai Port Trust to prepare conservation plan for Kanhoji Angre Island

The Trust is looking at transforming the island by developing camp sites, gazebos, amphitheatre, cafeteria, pathways, food courts and light and sound shows there

In its bid to develope the Kanhoji Angre Island as a toursit spot, the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) will prepare a restoration and conservation plan for the place that includes a fort wall, water bodies and cannons.

The island is named after the great Maratha navy commander Kanhoji Angre who fought and won many a battles against the Portuguese and the British. (HT file)

The port trust, which owns the island, is looking for a consultant to prepare a site management plan on the ancient remains of the island, located 20 km south of Mumbai.

According to MbPT documents accessed by HT, the island has a peripheral dry stone masonry wall that has collapsed at many places. A prominent structure on the island is the 22-feet lighthouse, built by the British in 1867.

The fort also has old metal cannons, the tomb of local saint Daud Pir, a temple of Sri Betal, where local fishermen from the nearby villages perform rituals, and four wells. The whole island has an area of about 16 acres.

The island is named after the great Maratha navy commander Kanhoji Angre who fought and won many a battles against the Portuguese and the British.

A senior planner from MbPT said, “The idea is to undertake restoration work since many parts of the fort wall have collapsed. We are also on the lookout for a firm to maintain the place once we open it as a tourist spot.”

MbPT is looking at transforming the island by developing camp sites, gazebos, amphitheatre, cafeteria, pathways, food courts and light and sound shows there. It is also planning to build a resort on the island to facilitate overnight stays.