Mahesh Bhavsar

Pune forest

ACF

Planning your New Year’s Eve atop the Sinhagad Fort this year? Here’s a statutory warning — carrying non-vegetarian food and liquor there may result in forceful eviction from the gates itself. For, the forest authorities have decided to make the year-end celebrations at the fort premises a vegetarian affair, much to the dismay of visitors.On Thursday, a meeting of the Sinhagad joint forest management committee decided that apart from liquor, the visitor cannot carry cooked or uncooked non-veg food items to the fort. If anybody does, the items will be seized at the entry gates and any attempt to flout the rule may land tourists in trouble. The fort will be thickly secured by forest guards as well as the Pune rural police., assistant conservator of forests for thedepartment, shared the reason for such a diktat, saying, “In a recent incident, it was observed that the visitors threw empty liquor bottles in the Ghat section and where the monuments are, posing a threat to the lives of other tourists.This also affects the wildlife in the area. Cooking of non-vegetarian food and consuming liquor prompt the youths to become violent at the fort. Forest guards and members of the fort conservation committee have seen people cooking non-veg near the Kalyan Darwaja. Many a times, they climb the fort via Kondhanpur-Awasari area or Golewadi area. We are trying to locate such people carrying non-veg and liquor across the fort premises. We will give them a chance to leave the food and beverages at the entrance itself. If they don’t comply, we will not allow them to enter the fort. Any attempt to reach the fort using other routes will force us to take legal action.”Ateam of 35 forest guards and officials, 50 members of the forest conservation committee and 50 other volunteers of Mavala Jawan Sanghatana will be present to ensure that no visitors go unchecked at the Donaje toll plaza. Dattatray Nalawade, founder president of Mavala Jawan Sanghatana, said, “More than 90 per cent of the people who visit to celebrate New Year’s Eve come with non-veg and liquor. They create a nuisance, which also disturbs the environment of the fort. Besides, there’s a heightened chance of woman tourists being sexually harassed owing to such people.” Local residents and history lovers had also reportedly requested the forest officials to take stringent steps to curb the illegal activities at the fort.Added Bhavsar, “Earlier, the fort painted a sorry picture with beer cans and liquor bottles lying all around. Hence, we decided we must do something that will dissuade people from indulging in such activities and spoil the glory of the fort. Also, once one person is evicted, he is bound to spread the word among friends and other acquaintances, so that more and more people get to know about the rule.”When Mirror asked Bhavsar why there was a ban on cooked non-veg food as well, he asserted, “Only veg meals will be allowed, not non-veg ones. The fort is a historical monument. The emotions of history lovers and followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji and his general Tanaji Malusare are attached with the place We would not allow eating or cooking nonveg on the fort.”However, regular visitors are protesting against this decision, terming it as nothing but moral policing that puts restrictions on the eating habits of people for no reason. Rajesh Date, a student who plans to visit Sinhagad Fort on this New Year’s Eve, said, “It is okay if they won’t allow liquor, but why is there a ban on eating non-veg? It is our choice what to eat and what not to. It is also okay if there is a ban on cooking non-veg at the fort. But what is the issue if we bring nonveg in a tiffin or parcel? This is nothing but moral policing.”Another IT engineer told Mirror on condition of anonymity, “It is not a good decision as it measures all the visitors by the same yardstick. Non-veg food is the USP of the fort; this is where we could get desi chicken thalis. This decision will hamper tourism prospects as the number of tourists would dwindle. We have no option but to find another destination to celebrate New Year.”█ The emotions of followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Tanaji Malusare are attached with this place. We will not allow eating or cooking non-veg on the fort