<p>Mumbai: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/maharashtra">Maharashtra</a> government is working on a comprehensive plan to preserve the state’s historic stepwells, focusing on conservation, removal of encroachments and coordinated restoration efforts through local administrations and heritage experts.</p><p>The direction was issued by Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar during a meeting of the State Government’s Stepwell Conservation Committee.</p><p>Shelar instructed the Directorate of Archaeology to give top priority to preserving and conserving Maharashtra’s historic stepwells and to prepare a detailed action plan for the initiative.</p>.CM Devendra Fadnavis approves Rs 4,150 crore development plan for Maharashtra's Pandharpur.<p>The minister also directed district collectors to undertake a special campaign to remove encroachments around the historic water structures, many of which face neglect and degradation.</p><p>The meeting was attended by Cultural Affairs Secretary Dr Kiran Kulkarni, Director of Archaeology Dr Tejas Garge, and members of the Save Stepwells Campaign, including Rohan Kale, Dr Parag Sadgir, Dr Chandrakant Ragit, Subhash Shinde, Srinivas Wadgabalkar, Shrikant Umrikar, Pramod Kulkarni, Saurabh Jamkar, Arvind Kadbe, Advocate Dhaygude and Bhagwat Masane.</p><p>Detailed discussions were held on the challenges involved in conserving stepwells, the need for coordination between government departments and local authorities, and measures required for long-term preservation. Committee members also submitted several recommendations during the meeting.</p><p>Shelar instructed officials to issue a circular laying down a standard operating framework for stepwell conservation and stressed the importance of regular coordination meetings and adherence to archaeological conservation norms in projects undertaken through District Planning Funds.</p><p>The minister also proposed organising workshops and training camps for organisations, researchers, students and voluntary groups engaged in stepwell conservation. He suggested taking assistance from experienced institutions in the training sector to strengthen technical knowledge and public participation in heritage preservation.</p><p>Shelar further informed the committee that the state government was exploring financial assistance for stepwell conservation through funds expected from the World Bank via the government’s MITRA organisation.</p>
<p>Mumbai: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/maharashtra">Maharashtra</a> government is working on a comprehensive plan to preserve the state’s historic stepwells, focusing on conservation, removal of encroachments and coordinated restoration efforts through local administrations and heritage experts.</p><p>The direction was issued by Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar during a meeting of the State Government’s Stepwell Conservation Committee.</p><p>Shelar instructed the Directorate of Archaeology to give top priority to preserving and conserving Maharashtra’s historic stepwells and to prepare a detailed action plan for the initiative.</p>.CM Devendra Fadnavis approves Rs 4,150 crore development plan for Maharashtra's Pandharpur.<p>The minister also directed district collectors to undertake a special campaign to remove encroachments around the historic water structures, many of which face neglect and degradation.</p><p>The meeting was attended by Cultural Affairs Secretary Dr Kiran Kulkarni, Director of Archaeology Dr Tejas Garge, and members of the Save Stepwells Campaign, including Rohan Kale, Dr Parag Sadgir, Dr Chandrakant Ragit, Subhash Shinde, Srinivas Wadgabalkar, Shrikant Umrikar, Pramod Kulkarni, Saurabh Jamkar, Arvind Kadbe, Advocate Dhaygude and Bhagwat Masane.</p><p>Detailed discussions were held on the challenges involved in conserving stepwells, the need for coordination between government departments and local authorities, and measures required for long-term preservation. Committee members also submitted several recommendations during the meeting.</p><p>Shelar instructed officials to issue a circular laying down a standard operating framework for stepwell conservation and stressed the importance of regular coordination meetings and adherence to archaeological conservation norms in projects undertaken through District Planning Funds.</p><p>The minister also proposed organising workshops and training camps for organisations, researchers, students and voluntary groups engaged in stepwell conservation. He suggested taking assistance from experienced institutions in the training sector to strengthen technical knowledge and public participation in heritage preservation.</p><p>Shelar further informed the committee that the state government was exploring financial assistance for stepwell conservation through funds expected from the World Bank via the government’s MITRA organisation.</p>