World Heritage at Risk: Illegal Ropeway Construction Threatens Raigad Fort, ASI Warned

By Milind Mane 

Mumbai : Barely months after Raigad Fort—capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj—was nominated to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, serious allegations of large-scale illegal construction by a private ropeway operator have surfaced, raising fears that Raigad, along with 11 other historic forts, could lose its World Heritage status.

In a formal letter dated 11 December 2025 addressed to the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Sambhaji Chhatrapati, Chairperson of the Raigad Development Authority (RDA), has issued an unambiguous warning, If unlawful construction activities are not halted immediately, the historical ambience of Raigad Fort may be irreversibly compromised—and UNESCO may take an adverse view.

According to the letter, the entire Raigad hill has been officially notified as a protected monument, not merely up to the Maha Darwaja or ropeway’s upper station. Yet, the ropeway operator has allegedly carried out substantial illegal commercial construction,  violated protected, prohibited, and regulated zones, damaged the historical and aesthetic context of the fort and misused protected heritage land for private commercial gain.

All this, the RDA claims, occurred despite ASI issuing stop-work notices, which were allegedly ignored and bypassed.

The letter reveals a deeper administrative breakdown. On 31 July 2025, a high-level meeting chaired by the Union Minister of Culture decided that RDA would be permitted to carry out conservation and restoration works (including Balekilla enclosure walls, Bazarpeth structures, fortress walls and entrances), a material ropeway would be allowed strictly for transporting conservation materials, not commercial operations. 

However, when RDA approached the ASI Regional Director (West) in October seeking in-principle approval, the proposal was refused, citing “no knowledge of such ministerial decisions” absence of directions from the ASI Director General’s office.

This has raised disturbing questions. Were ministerial decisions deliberately ignored?, Why was conservation blocked while illegal commercial construction flourished?

The letter explicitly states that ongoing construction violates the AMASR (Amendment) Act, 1958, which strictly prohibits such activity in regulated heritage zones. More alarmingly, ASI’s own senior leadership has reportedly acknowledged that not only Raigad, but 11 other forts recently nominated could also lose World Heritage recognition if violations continue. Such a precedent would mark one of India’s gravest heritage governance failures.

Sambhaji Chhatrapati has demanded that ASI must direct the Regional Director (West) to immediately grant in-principle approval for legitimate conservation works, order the Superintending Archaeologist (Mumbai Circle) to issue notices for removal of unauthorised constructions, initiate demolition proceedings under relevant sections of the AMASR Act and conduct an urgent central inspection of Raigad Fort.

Failure to act, the letter warns, would make the ropeway operator, its political and administrative backers and ASI officials who “looked away” collectively responsible for international embarrassment and cultural loss.

To counter private monopoly and protect heritage, the RDA has proposed a government-owned ropeway, fully compliant with UNESCO heritage norms—safe, non-intrusive, and environmentally compatible. If implemented, this could become a model for heritage-sensitive infrastructure across India.

Raigad is not merely a monument—it is the symbolic heart of Swarajya, India’s democratic and constitutional ethos. Allowing unchecked commercial construction here would signal that heritage protection in India is negotiable. The question now is stark, “Will ASI act—or will UNESCO act first?”