PMC Plans 100-Foot Saffron Flag at Sinhagad Fort With Rs 1 Crore Budget; Proposal Needs General Body Nod as Fort Lies Outside City Limits

Pune, 1st November 2026: Sinhagad, the fort that half of Pune climbs at least once every monsoon, may soon have a 100-foot flagpole flying a saffron flag. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has set aside Rs 1 crore in its 2026-27 budget for the project, and Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has placed the proposal before the Standing Committee.

There is a catch. Sinhagad is outside the PMC’s geographical limits, so the civic body cannot simply go ahead. Standing Committee Chairman Shrinath Bhimale has said that under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, spending on a project outside city limits needs approval from the PMC’s general body.

Where the flag would go

The site was chosen after an inspection on 11 September. It is a spot in the tourist accommodation area on the fort owned by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The Rs 1 crore, budgeted under the PMC’s Building Department, is meant to cover the flagpole, beautification of the surrounding area and maintenance.

The civic administration believes the flag will draw more visitors and add to the fort’s cultural and historical identity.

Questions still to be answered

The proposal, as reported, does not say whether other agencies have been consulted. Sinhagad is a protected fort, and work on it usually involves the state archaeology department and the forest department, since the fort and its slopes fall in a forest area. Wind is another practical issue. A tall flagpole on an exposed hilltop at over 1,300 metres has to withstand strong monsoon winds, which is why similar tall flagpoles elsewhere need careful engineering and regular flag replacement.

There is also the question of priorities. Regular visitors know that Sinhagad’s everyday problems are parking on the ghat road, plastic litter, limited toilets and crowding at the top on weekends. Whether a Rs 1 crore flag project should come before these is a fair question for the general body to discuss.

Why Sinhagad matters to Pune

Sinhagad, earlier known as Kondhana, is tied to one of the best-known stories of Maratha history: Tanaji Malusare’s capture of the fort in 1670, after which it was renamed Sinhagad. For Pune residents, it is also a weekend ritual, from the early morning climb to kanda bhaji, pithla bhakri and matka dahi at the top.

If the general body approves, the PMC will still have to work out the design, tender the work and secure permissions, so the flag is unlikely to go up in the next few months.

Planning a visit in the cooler months? See our list of weekend getaways near Pune this winter. For more on what the civic body is planning, read about the Sarasbaug-Parvati ropeway project.

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