PUNE: The district authorities have reported a noticeable increase in trekking activity after the historic forts and tourist spots such as Sinhagad, Rajgad, Torna, Lohagad, Visapur, among others, were reopen from the first week of November.
The administration had closed these forts in March in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh told TOI on Sunday, “Visitors and trekkers must strictly follow the Covid-19 guidelines while enjoying their visit to the forts. We are constantly reviewing the situation through our tehsil administration. For now, the situation (spread of infection) is fairly under control.”
The district has nearly 60 forts spread across Bhor, Velhe, Maval, Mulshi, Khed, Ambegaon and Junnar tehsils. Trekkers from across the state visit these forts every year in large numbers. The local residents earn their livelihood from the trekking and tourist activities.
Several trekking and tourism groups and organizations had called for opening up of the forts to enable the local residents to revive their economic activity and livelihood. “Many families, mainly the tribals, rely on activities such as running makeshift eatery joints around the forts. Some organize home stays and work as guides,” Santosh Shelke, a camp organizer in Maval, said.
Akhil Maharashtra Giriyarohan Mahasangh president Umesh Zirpe said, “Sinhagad fort, which is closest to Pune city, has seen a huge rise in footfall. Nowadays, people are going for trekking almost every day instead of weekends. They can do so because of the “work from home” facility, which is enabling them to work from anywhere. We feel people need to explore other forts to avoid crowds at a single place.”
Zirpe said, “Commercial trek organizers are yet to start their activity. These groups do not want to take risk for now as following a set guidelines would be a big challenge for them. For example, providing a separate tent to each person is not economically viable for them.”
Ashok Pathare, a hotel owner at the foothills of Tung fort in Maval, said, “Hundreds of trekkers from all age groups visited the fort in the last two weeks. We haven’t seen such a crowd in this short period throughout this year.”
Junnar’s Swarup Shelkande, who runs a hotel and dairy near Shivneri fort, said, “People here are dependent only on organizing treks, providing meals to tourists and arranging their stay. They earn Rs500 to Rs1,000 daily. This amount is enough for them to run their homes. Some of them make more money. We have been paying extra attention towards social distancing norms. The reopening of forts was needed and is now helping locals in big way.”