The Raigad ropeway management firm which ran a novel initiative along with local villagers has collected 30,000 plastic bottles that were thrown inside the historic fort of Raigad by the tourists. Through the initiative the ropeway authority had paid the villagers Rs 1 per bottle so that the Raigad fort is free from littering and the villagers can also earn through the initiative.

The Raigad ropeway authority, which undertakes this initiative as a part of cleanliness drive, with the help of local villagers and the local NGOs, has found that urban tourists were not bothered about conservation of environment inside the historic fort.

The Raigad ropeway authority, which undertook this cleanliness drive, had announced to pay Re1 per empty bottle to the collector for a period of a week between February 22 and 28. It has found that urban tourists, despite the attraction of getting back Rs5 per bottle, did not return the empty water bottles and threw them inside the fort premises.

Vaishali Jog, managing director of Raigad ropeway management firm, informed dna that people visit Raigad fort throughout the year but in February the number is more as February 19 is the birth anniversary of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She added that that was the reason the cleanliness drive was held between February 22 and 28.

Jog informed that the tourists were asked to pay Rs20 instead of Rs15 per water bottle that they bought at the foothills of Raigad fort with an assurance of refunding Rs5 if they would bring the empty bottle back. To our dismay, Jog said, very few tourists brought back their empty bottles as they have a habit of throwing the empty bottles inside the fort.

She informed that while thinking of cleanliness by removing the water bottles inside the fort area, they had announced a scheme of paying Re1 per empty bottle that was collected. The local villagers gave a huge response towards the scheme. She informed that in one week the villagers have as many as 30,000 empty bottles.