BENGALURU: The wait for a boat ride at the famous Srirangapatna Fort in Mandya district, is only getting longer. While the dilapidated fort is waiting for repairs, four years after the boat ride announcement, the boating project will have to wait until three departments — Archaeology, PWD and Tourism —do their bit.
The project was announced when Sa Ra Mahesh was Tourism minister in the Kumaraswamy government. CT Ravi, as Tourism minister in the Yediyurappa government, had told the assembly that Rs 5 crore had been released for the project. It has now been taken up by current Tourism Minister Anand Singh.
Since the fort is a monument, repairs cannot be entrusted to the PWD as it requires the expertise of the state archaeology department. The Tourism department has been entrusted the job of introducing boating after the fort is repaired, but has not transferred funds to the Archaeology department, sources said.
ourism director T Venkatesh, however, said the fort will be made a tourist attraction. Srirangapatna Fort, one of the oldest forts in Karnataka, is located in Mandya district -- a drive of over two hours from Bengaluru. It was built by Thimmanna Nayaka in 1454 and gained in prominence during the rule of Tipu Sultan. The river Cauvery surrounds the fort on one side.
According to the proposal, the area around the fort will be cleaned and a surrounding trench built, into which Cauvery water will be filled. During the reign of kings, water from the tunnel was used to surround the fort and protect it from enemies.
The State government has allotted funds for the project, but it has not taken off. People who were hoping the boat ride would be part of Dasara celebrations, are disappointed. Tourism Minister Anand Singh was unavailable for comment.