Pune: The Pune division of forest department will continue its anti-encroachment drive on 36-hectares of the Sinhagad Fort premises till June 2.The forest division, along with many other departments, razed as many as six buildings since the driver started on Thursday.The administration has shut the fort for public and trekkers till the conclusion of the drive. Access via all trekking routes will also be restricted.Most of the encroachments are on private land, while one was on the forest department’s land, said officials. The operation was undertaken following the state govt’s instructions, which mandate that all forts in the state must be encroachment-free by May 31, 2025.The joint action was coordinated with over two hundred staff members from the forest department, revenue department, archaeological department, police, panchayat samiti and public works department (PWD).“Due to the inaccessibility of heavy machinery like excavators on the fort premises, the removal of certain permanent RCC structures is still pending. All demolition work is now carried out manually. It is causing a delay. We are focusing on bringing all encroachments down to the ground,” said Manoj Barbole, range forest officer.Encroachments on forest department land and illegal structures built without the approval of the archaeological department were the focus of the drive. According to authorities, notices were served to all encroachers, which offered them an opportunity to remove structures voluntarily. Despite this, many failed to comply or submit necessary permits, the officials said, adding that as a result, the district authorities moved forward with demolition.“All illegal constructions on forest land have been removed. Similarly, many unauthorized buildings under the jurisdiction of the archaeological department at Sinhagad Fort have been demolished,” said a senior district official involved in the operation.The officials said the administration will also be introducing long-term regulatory measures and stricter monitoring to prevent re-encroachments.
