'Aggressive promotion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum need of the hour'

Aurangabad, Nov 16:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has established Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum, 22 years ago. However, the place is visited by less number of people due to the absence of promotion and marketing initiatives by its custodian, although lakhs of tourists visit Aurangabad to see monuments and other places of interest every year.

The museum was started on December 26, 1999. The aim to establish the museum was to apprise the Shivkalin Itihas (history of Chhatrapati Shivaji) to the next generation. A total of 4,000 articles, artefacts, arms, old coins, utensils, paintings, handwritten scripts etc are displayed in the five compartments of the museum. In short, the museum highlights the life and regime of Lord Shivaji. The whole property is looked after by four manpower. There are attractive displays which enrich the knowledge of visitors, but due to shortage of manpower, the existing staff are unable to explain them to the visitors. The treasure was donated by Dr Shantilal Purwar, Lambture and Runwal. They are given an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month.

The museum lacks adequate parking space and promotion. There is a shortage of manpower and modern facilities. The members of the ruling parties and the officers also turn their backs towards its upkeep. The drinking water is also not available for the visitors on the premises.

There is a dire need for aggressive marketing and promotion of the museum on the lines of other monuments in the city. This would help attract domestic and international tourists to visit the place. The AMC should undertake a special drive to promote it on priority.

6K tourists in a couple of months

It is learnt that 6,280 tourists visited the place in two and a half months (September 1, 2021, to November 14). The entry ticket charged per adult is Rs 5 and per child is Rs 2. The demand for increasing the entry ticket charges is also been pending for the past many years.