UNESCO has given 12 historical forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as World Heritage Site. This is a matter of pride for Maharashtra. Of these, 11 forts are located in Maharashtra and one fort, Jinji Fort, Tamil Nadu. After this announcement, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray expressed his happiness on the social media platform X and also advised the state government to take necessary steps.
These world heritage should be protected and maintained – Raj Thackeray
Raj Thackeray wrote that it is a matter of pride that now the world can be shown how far Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s idea of Swarajya was spread and how old and strong the relationship between two different languages and cultures has been. He hoped that now that UNESCO has declared these forts as the World Heritage Site, they will be properly preserved and maintained, as some stringent criteria are also associated with this status which is mandatory to follow.
He accused the opposition of a dilapidated situation of these heritage
He appealed to the state government to provide additional amount of additional funds of the International Fund received for the protection of these forts. He also targeted the previous governments and said that till now all the governments have ignored these historical heritage, due to which their condition has become dilapidated and foreign tourists have not got the opportunity to see their grandeur. Raj Thackeray said that if the forts and beaches of Maharashtra are preserved and a proper infrastructure is prepared for tourism, the state’s economy can get unprecedented boost.
At the end of his post, he warned that getting the status of World Heritage does not mean that he should be considered permanently safe. If the required standards are not followed, this status can also be withdrawn. Giving examples, he said that this status has been withdrawn from Oman’s ‘Arabian Orix Sanctuary’ and Germany’s Dresseden Valley.
He said that the government should not only celebrate, but now a big responsibility should also be taken up. First of all, all illegal constructions should be removed immediately, irrespective of the encroachment. In the end, he congratulated the Marathi people and expressed satisfaction over the global recognition of Shivaji Maharaj’s glorious saga.
