Mumbai, March 25 -- Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar wrote a letter to Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat demanding that the Maharashtra government take over the maintenance and preservation of all the forts currently being looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

In his letter to Union Minister Shekhawat on Monday, Ashish Shelar highlighted his visit to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Paris, which he headed.

The Maharashtra government has identified 54 centrally protected and 62 state-protected forts, including iconic ones like Raigad, Rajgad, and Pratapgad, which are proposed to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List.

Shelar emphasised that these historic fort...