The Janjira Fort in Murud in Raigad district is likely to be closed this Sunday as the district administration has received a request from the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). The district administration has sought a police report, and based on it a decision will be taken on the closure of the fort.
During the last weekend, a large number of people thronged at the Janjira Fort which raised the safety concerns and violation of COVID-19 norms. It was difficult to manage the crowd after some point of time at the Janjira fort.
Nidhi Chaudhary, district collector of Raigad said that she received a request from the ASI officials to close the Fort on December 27. “I have sought a police report and based on the report a decision will be taken and to be issued in writing,” said Chaudhary.
There are a number of ASI monuments and tourist spots in Raigad district which are likely to get heavy footfalls during the Christmas and New Year period. People residing in Mumbai, Pune and Nasik find Raigad as good getaway for a short duration as there are a number of tourist spots in the locality including the Janjira fort, that receives a huge footfall.
Chaudhary said that they have not taken any decision to close any tourist spots. However, the decision will be taken after consulting the local police. “The decision of closing ASI monuments can be taken only after receiving a request from the ASI,” said Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, the district administration has advised the ASI to issue limited number of entry ticket to ASI monuments to control the crowd. “We advised them not to issue tickets beyond a limit,” said Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, the district administration has imposed night curfew in the district from 11 pm to 6 am to contain the spread of the new strain of coronavirus.
