Have you tripped on the Elephanta Caves steps?

This might well be a thing of the past as the Elephanta Caves is now set to
receive a facelift... finally!
ANIL SADARANGANI

There is good news for people who have tripped over themselves, literally,
upon reaching the Elephanta island and its caves. After years of neglect and
abandon, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has finally
started development work on the jetty and the approach to the caves.

    The Ministry of Tourism has released a grant of Rs 75 lakhs for the
development of the island after an initial proposal report was submitted by
INTACH, the heritage conservationists. "Now, we are working on a final
project plan with INTACH," says MTDC Genral Manager, Prithviraj Patil.

    Patil says that work has already started. But he adds, "It could take
any amount of time, even five years." Work

on the dilapidated steps at the jetty is under way and work on developing
toilets, which were not there, has already begun. "A shade for the long
jetty, the steps leading to the caves, a bazaar area, pathways, landscaping,
building development, roads and work on other facilities will also start
soon," adds Patil.

    When asked why has there been a delay in the implementation, Patil said,
"The area comes under the jurisdiction of the forest department. MTDC has
taken up the work because the place is a tourist attraction being a
designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. There have been mangrove issues,
local resentment and since we do not have authority, permissions take time.
We want to do the work as per the rules and regulations and frameworks.
Tasneem Mehta, convenor of INTACH, was unreachable for comment.

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