While speaking to a live online gathering on Sunday to mark World Tourism Day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray touched on the need to preserve and protect the Gilbert Hill heritage site in Mumbai. This site, situated in Andheri, is said to be facing issues such as illegal encroachment as well as erosion.
Gilbert Hill is believed to be the portion of a ridge that was formed nearly 66 million years ago. Thackeray said that this site is among the rarest in the world. “In the USA, they have turned it into a tourist attraction, a national monument,” Thackeray said while referring to the Devils Postpile National Monument in California.
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Gilbert Hill is a protected Grade II heritage structure, though it’s clear that its maintenance has been ignored by the authorities over the years. With the Chief minister promising the preservation of this historic site, it is hoped that more attention will be given to its upkeep. As Thackeray points out, this could also be turned into a tourist attraction given the right resources.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated two MTDC hotels in Kharghar and Nashik respectively, while also opening a boat club near Nashik’s Gangapur Dam. Thackeray said that the government aims to make Maharashtra the number one tourist destination in the country with a renewed focus on improving facilities at existing tourism sites.
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