Diwali 2023 : Sinhagad fort witnesses huge tourist influx
Diwali 2023 : Sinhagad fort witnesses huge tourist influx
Fitness enthusiasts and travelers thronged Sinhagad fort in the first week of Diwali and continued even during the Diwali holidays.
Statistics from the Forest Department indicate that the increase in visitors started after Bhaubeej day at the fort. Just 700–750 people came to the area on November 8 and 9, but about 7,500 people came to the fort on Diwali Padwa. Over 4,000 people visited the historic fort on Friday and Saturday.
As per further information, the forest department reports that during the holiday season, visitors came to the Sinhagad fort from nearby districts such as Mumbai, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Ahmednagar, and Solapur.
Travellers were forced to park their cars on the ghat section road and walk to the fort due to the large number of visitors over the past week.
Over 10,000 people visited the fort last week, and during the Diwali holidays, there were daily traffic jams on the ghat section.
According to the range forest officer for the Pune Forest area, security officers avoided taking vacation time during the holiday season to avoid upsetting the tourists.
The range forest officer further adds that they see sizable crowds during the Diwali festival season every year. During the school holidays, visitors come to the fort from all over the state and beyond. When the fort is crowded, they are unable to visit it. They planned to accompany the security officers of the Forest Protection Committee and allow as many tourists as possible to visit the fort because they believed that such tourists ought to be allowed to do so. Every attempt was made to prevent gridlock on the ghat.
Shreyas Vange
