In villages around Sinhagad Fort,few takers for subsidised LPG scheme

With nearly 300 families slated to be covered,the department is trying to spread awareness about the scheme and dissuading villagers from chopping trees from forests.

Under the scheme,below poverty line (BPL) families pay 25 per cent of the charges and above poverty line (APL) families pay 50 per cent of the charges.

The initiative,announced in March,is aimed at conserving the forests surrounding the area.

“The initiative is slowly picking up momentum. There is no issue with the funds from the state government,” said state Principal Secretary Praveensinh Pardeshi.

The state government has reserved funds of Rs 1.27 crore to implement the scheme and overall development of the Sinhagad fort area. The state aims at recovering the expenditure through toll collection from vehicles visiting the fort.

Of the Rs 1.27 crore,Rs 22 lakh will be used for upkeep of the place,renovation of the roads and other amenities in the area. “Our officials are listing the names of the beneficiaries. Each connection would cost around Rs 5,000 in total and subsidy is being given according to different categories,” said Nitin Kakodkar,chief conservator of forests (Pune).

He,however,added that convincing the families was not an easy task as they know that ration card benefits would come down if they get the gas connection. “We are trying to coax them into opting for the scheme but they are yet not sure of the long-term benefits and whether they would continue to have the gas connections. Also,some of them do not have the required documents for the connections,” he added.

The department also plans to build biodigester toilets at the fort. As the the fort has large number of visitors,a lot of work had been done in terms of internal pathways,forest rest house and repairs of railings,officials said.

The repair work of the

9-km road,too,is under way. The department wants to focus on plantation and build check dams for soil and moisture conservation.

The forest department has readied a master plan for the area and it is to be put before the committee under the district collector for approval. Officials said though the plan has been readied by the forest department,the other departments — archaelogy,tourism and PWD — will have to reach a consensus.