MUMBAI: With a focus on protecting iconic heritage sites in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday cleared the formation of a state-level committee to make state-protected monuments encroachment-free and preserve their historical character.Headed by the minister for cultural affairs, the committee will include ministers from the revenue, rural development, tourism, public works, forests and ports development departments, along with senior secretaries from finance, planning, cultural affairs, urban development, home, revenue, rural development, tourism, public works, forests and ports development departments.The decision is aimed at safeguarding key Mumbai monuments such as August Kranti Maidan, Dharavi Fort and St George Fort, besides heritage sites in neighbouring Thane district like the Khandeshwari Caves. Officials said removal of encroachments and unauthorised constructions is crucial for conservation, public access and the long-term preservation of these historically significant locations.An earlier government resolution issued on January 20, 2025, had primarily focused on removing encroachments from forts—whether centrally protected, state-protected or unprotected—and led to the creation of district-level committees. The revised decision expands the scope to cover all state-protected monuments, not just forts, bringing several non-fort heritage structures in Mumbai and across the state under its ambit.Under the new framework, the state-level committee will supervise district-level committees, take policy decisions and issue guidelines to ensure uniform implementation. The planning department has been empowered to release funds directly to district collectors for conservation works and encroachment removal.Maharashtra has 390 state-protected monuments, many of them located in urban and semi-urban areas facing development pressure. In addition to Mumbai and Thane, the list includes sites such as Vasudev Balwant Phadke’s birthplace in Raigad, rock carvings in Ratnagiri, Buddhist caves at Khed, and memorials in Nashik, Sangli and Kolhapur.The state also has 145 state-protected temples, including prominent shrines such as the Tuljabhavani temple and the Khandoba temple at Jejuri. The government said the initiative would help preserve Mumbai’s fast-disappearing heritage while boosting cultural tourism in the city and the wider region.
