Let's salute Mumbai's forts

Since 1986 the Youth Hostels Association of India YHAI has been celebrating Independence Day by hoisting the tricolour atop forts in Maharashtra In 2007 they trekked and hoisted the national flag atop Rohida fort 3660 ft while in 2009 they headed to Torna fort 4 603 ft Over the last four years they have been trying to fuel their initiative by raising awareness about the forts within Mumbai This year they will be going all out by simultaneously hoisting the tricolour atop seven significant forts within the city frontiers An archival photo of flag hoisting at a fort in Maharashtra ldquoMumbai boasts of forts at Sewri Sion Reva Dharavi Mahim Bandra and Worli However very few people are aware about these forts and hence they donrsquot feature on Mumbaikarsrsquo or touristsrsquo travel itinerary Mahim fort Today batches of participants will trek to their designated forts and hoist the tricolour simultaneously across the locationsrdquo says Anil Bhandari Chairman Youth Hostels Association of India Kandivali Unit u00a0 Sion fort Bhandari adds that the aim is to motivate people to make them aware of the cityrsquos cultural heritage ldquoWe hoist the flag sing patriotic songs and distribute sweets Sometimes tree plantation drives are also heldrdquo he explains Sewri fort Different teams will be formed and the participants will assemble at 730 am at the fort designated to them while the coordinated hoisting will take place at 9 am Dharavi fort Speaking about these heritage structuresrsquo significance Bhandari says ldquoThese forts had once protected the city and even today they hold great importance because of their strategic location throughout the city Bandra fort File Photo Unfortunately they have not been maintained on par with the standards of a heritage siterdquo In 2009 15 members of YHAI had visited these forts and found some of them to be worth a visit Over the last three years they have been visiting these forts regularly with 30 to 50 new participants In February this year they had organised a cycling trek to these forts with 20 participants ldquoDuring our visits we found that the condition of these forts was pathetic and there was no support from the government except at the Sion fort and hence no proper fencing cleanliness and information boards etcrdquo Worli fort pic Pradeep Dhivaru00a0 Following their trips YHAI came up with certain suggestions to maintain the forts which included declaring these sites as protected monuments fencing them and employing a security guard along with disconnecting water and electricity connections to thwart encroachments Map Vijay Pednekar On Today assemble at 730 am flag hoisting at 9 am Call 98679110099820126457 to register How to save Mumbairsquos forts gt Every fort should be declared as a protected monument gt Fence every fort and employ a security guard To cover the expenses we may charge nominal entry fees as done at other places like Kanheri Caves and Elephanta Caves gt Organise cleanliness drives gt Disconnect water and electricity connections to illegal encroached hutments gt Display information boards at every fort gt Create a museum photo gallery at the Sion fort to showcase Mumbairsquos forts gt Once it is clean and access is good these can be included in Mumbai Darshan tours gt Include information in the MTDC brochures Observations at the forts Worli Fort gt Encroached by local gym gt Access is very bad gt Surrounded by debris Mahim Fort gt Can only be viewed from outside Cannot be entered due to encroachment gt Surrounded by debris and garbage gt People use the Seaface for their morning ablutions Hence it is impossible to access via the sea entry gt People who had occupied the fort illegally have official light and water connections Bandra Fort gt Maintained by private authorities gt The security officials had no identity cards This has been reported to the police gt There were numerous couples at the fort it deters families from moving freely Dharavi Fort gt To climb up the fort we need to use the local wooden steps There were no arrangements for climbing up the fort gt Cannot be seen completely as it is surrounded by slums gt The top of the fort was strewn with garbage gt Central entry to underground room was covered with sewage gt Surrounded by debris and garbage Sion Fort gt There is no demarcation between the garden and the fort Sewri Fort gt Was in good shape physically as it was rebuilt by Archaeological Department But it is doubtful whether it will remain the same in the coming years due to government control gt People were playing cricket inside the fort gt A liquor party was in full swing when we visited last year