It was brought to our attention by the residents of the Jaisalmer Fort that the Rajasthan Government’s ambitious project to renovate the drainage system at the fort had major challenges in its execution. We decided to create awareness amongst the locals regarding issues in the drainage plan through the District Empowered Committee. We invited heritage and conservation architects to visit the site. They pointed out challenges in both the design and the execution of the drainage plan that would have everlasting, detrimental effects on the homogeneity of the fort and would adversely affect the lives of the people residing in it. When visiting the site, Ambrish Kumar, IAS and director of the executing authority, was taken aback by the site’s conditions. He also recognised the loopholes in the design plan and ordered a re-working and re-implementation of the plan. We communicated our concern for the fort at various platforms through emails, presentations and meetings. We then also made a short documentary depicting the truth of the situation from the perspective of the residents of the fort and the authorities of Jaisalmer. As a result, the authorities in charge did become conscious and took corrective actions. Even so, the project has not yet been a complete success and our efforts to save the fort continue.
