TOI: Sion fort to get back old glory: Feb 27, 2008

Mumbai: After the Mahim fort, it is now the turn of the Sion fort to receive the attention of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which plans to restore its former glory.
Experts will soon conduct a study on both the forts before restoration work is taken up.
The Sion fort, which is now in a state of utter neglect, came up for discussion at the MMRDA’s meeting last week. The agency’s joint project director, Dilip Kawathkar, said their plan to renovate the fort is part of a larger initiative to help protect heritage monuments in the city and the suburbs. According to Kawathkar, they would ask heritage architects to recommend measures to refurbish and conserve the ancient structures.
MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who is reportedly eager to preserve the city forts, is supposed to take up the others shortly. The structures crying for attention include Worli, Dongri and Madh forts (Versova).
City historian Sharada Diwedi welcomed the move to help restore the fort but cautioned, “Professional conservation architects must be involved since the renovations have to be precise and correct.’’
Situated just 500 m from the railway station, the Sion Hillock Fort was built by the British between 1669 and 1677 during when Sir Gerard Aungier was the governor. Old records state that Sion was the boundary between British-held Parel Island and the Portuguese-held Salsette Island. At the base of the hill is a garden.
The MMRDA, which is taking up large-scale infrastructure projects across the city, sees conservation of heritage structures as an extension to the city make-over plan.
toireporter@timesgroup.com