UNESCO has given the status of World Heritage Site to 12 historical forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 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.

Protection and maintenance of these world heritage- 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 a world heritage site, they will be properly preserved and maintained, because this status also has strict norms which is mandatory to follow.

Opposition accused of these heritage’s condition being dilapidated

He appealed to the state government to provide additional funds in addition to the international funds 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 became dilapidated and foreign tourists could not get the opportunity to show their grandeur. Raj Thackeray said that if a proper structure is set up for tourism by saving the forts and sea edges of Maharashtra, then there may be an unprecedented bounce in the state economy.

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 If the required standards are not followed, then this status can also be withdrawn. Giving examples, he said that this status has been withdrawn from Oman’s ‘Arabian Orix Sanctuary’ and Germany’s ‘Dresden Valley’.

He said that the government should not only celebrate, but now a big responsibility should also be taken. 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 recognition of Shivaji Maharaj’s pride globally.