Hold out for hope before monsoon: Sinhagad fort vendors in Pune yet to receive keys from forest dept to new stalls

These vendors face multiple issues at their current location which they say has wiped off almost their entire business. To find these vendors you have to enter a small secluded lane which is reached after walking a few minutes of entering the fort. When asked about this, Rukhmini Bai Guru, another vendor, said, “Customers do not come here, but if we shift to the new stalls at least some customers will come then. It will be closer for them also.” The new stalls that have been built for them will solve these issues as they are closer to the entrance of the fort. At present, vendors claim they lack visibility and thus business has dried to nearly nil.

Raju Sona, a vendor, said, “Everything washes away. There is a lot of sludge which leads to a lot of loss”

As their current provisions are made simply from tarp and wood, they suffer a host of problems during the monsoons. Raju Sona, a vendor, said, “Everything washes away. There is a lot of sludge which leads to a lot of loss.” Shivaji Dimble, a vendor who’s had a stall here for around 40 years, added, “The water comes all the way inside, sometimes rising till our knees.” These stalls serve as the sole source of income for many of these vendors. Monica Sachin Khatbe, a ‘Pithla Bhakari’ seller, said, “Our children go to school because of this. If we earn here, only then do we get to eat at home.” The current condition of the vendors’ stalls is bleak, with their only hope, getting the keys to the new stalls before monsoon.

When contacted, Deepak Pawar, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Pune, however, told The Indian Express that the project was on track. “Keys have been handed over to some of the vendors, while some are yet to be received. The MoU with the vendors will also be signed,” he said.