logo
Mathura district administration offers luxury flats to temple priests amid corridor project opposition

Mathura district administration offers luxury flats to temple priests amid corridor project opposition

LUCKNOW: As the survey of residences and shops in the 22 Kunj Galis (narrow lanes) leading to the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan continues, 30 per cent of it already completed, the Mathura district administration has prepared an elaborate plan to rehabilitate the sevayats, the Goswamis, who have been openly opposing the Banke Bihari Corridor project.
The plan includes relocating the sevayats to Rukmani Vihar in Vrindavan. The Goswami community, comprising hereditary priests, has been performing religious and priestly duties at the Banke Bihari temple for centuries.
The Supreme Court recently gave the green light to the Banke Bihari Corridor, an ambitious initiative aimed at easing crowd congestion and enhancing the overall pilgrimage experience around the revered shrine. Following this, the state government brought in an ordinance to create a Trust to run the temple and oversee the development of the proposed corridor.
After a visit by Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the special advisor to the Chief Minister, to Vrindavan on June 6, the project gained momentum.
The Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) is working on a two-pronged strategy: first, conducting a survey of Kunj Galis comprising 286 houses and shops, and second, accelerating the rehabilitation of residents from 188 houses to new luxury flats at Rukmani Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar. The administration hopes that offering better accommodation will help pacify the sevayats.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brazil's Lula says open to US trade talks if treated as an equal
Brazil's Lula says open to US trade talks if treated as an equal

Hindustan Times

timean hour ago

  • Hindustan Times

Brazil's Lula says open to US trade talks if treated as an equal

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil is open to trade talks with Donald Trump but only if his country is treated as an equal to the US, reiterating that he won't bow to political pressure from the US president. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the National Meeting of the Workers' Party at the Brasil 21 Convention Centre in Brasilia on August 3, 2025.(AFP) 'We want to negotiate. We want to negotiate on equal terms,' Lula said Sunday at an event for his leftist Workers' Party in Brasilia. 'We will support our companies, defend our workers, and say, 'Look, when you're ready to negotiate, our proposals are on the table.'' In July, Trump thrust Brazil into the center of his global trade war, threatening to impose 50% tariffs on its goods unless the Supreme Court immediately dropped a case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing trial on charges that he attempted a coup following his 2022 election loss. The US last week delayed the tariff hike, which had been set to take effect Aug. 1, while exempting numerous products from higher levies. But it also placed sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing Bolsonaro's legal cases and has clashed with US social media companies. Trump said Friday that Lula can call him, remarks that Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad welcomed as a step forward. Haddad said he is set to speak to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about tariffs and the sanctions against Moraes soon. Even as he signaled openness to talks, the leftist leader maintained his defiant tone toward the US, saying it was 'unacceptable' to 'try to use a political issue to impose economic sanctions on us' and repeating his assertion that Trump is attempting to upend global multilateralism. Lula also said he won't give up on efforts to develop alternatives to the dollar in foreign trade — another issue that has irked Trump even as the BRICS bloc of emerging market nations, of which Brazil is a part, has made little progress on it. 'Brazil today is not as dependent on the United States as it once was,' he said. 'I won't disregard the importance of our diplomatic relationship with the US. But from now on, they need to know that we have things to negotiate. We have size, we have a stance, we have economic and political interests to bring to the table.' Lula's remarks came as Bolsonaro supporters staged marches in major cities against the government and Moraes, whom the former president has accused of politically persecuting him and his right-wing allies. Crowds gathered on major streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and other cities, with an additional march set to take place on Sao Paulo's main avenue in the afternoon. Bolsonaro is not participating in the marches due to restrictions Moraes placed on him last month that forbid the right-wing former leader from leaving his home at nights and on weekends.

Internal quota: Parameshwara appeals to groups to not protest
Internal quota: Parameshwara appeals to groups to not protest

The Hindu

timean hour ago

  • The Hindu

Internal quota: Parameshwara appeals to groups to not protest

Home Minister G. Parameshwara here on Sunday said that the Congress government was committed to implementing internal reservation for Scheduled Caste communities in the State and appealed to those threatening to stage protest seeking implementation of it to not do so. 'We had made the declaration on internal reservation in Chitradurga and we have also committed to it in our manifesto. Whatever we need to do should be done according to the procedure and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court. We are committed to implementing internal reservation; procedures have to be followed for which we need some time,' he told presspersons. His statement comes in the light of Dalit left (Madigas) groups threatening a protest from August 11. Dalit left leaders from the BJP, including Govind Karjol and A. Narayanaswamy, have also made such a threat. The Minister said that the commission, headed by retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das, would submit its report to the government on August 4. It would discussed in the State Cabinet and steps would be taken to implement the recommendations. The A.J. Sadashiva Commission report was not accepted by the then BJP government because of data issues. On the meeting of Ministers from the Scheduled Caste community that he had convened, Dr. Parameshwara said that it was decided to have a common voice on the internal reservation. 'If there are any issues with communities, it was decided to talk to them.'

85,000 cases to be transferred to Kolhapur's circuit bench
85,000 cases to be transferred to Kolhapur's circuit bench

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

85,000 cases to be transferred to Kolhapur's circuit bench

Kolhapur: Starting Aug 18, a new circuit bench of the Bombay high court will begin operations in Kolhapur, taking on approximately 85,000 pending cases from as many as six districts. This move aims to significantly reduce the caseload at the main Bombay high court. The approved circuit bench will serve the districts of Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg. The new bench will be housed in three renovated halls of the old court building on Bhausingji Road. This historic building once served as the Supreme Court for the Chhatrapati family during pre-independence times, and more recently, as the district and sessions court until its relocation to a new facility in Kasba Bawada a few years ago. According to S S Khot, president of the Kolhapur District Bar Association, the transferred cases will include a mix of recent filings and older matters, all of which will receive daily hearings. "To ensure smooth operations, around 40 staffers will be transferred from the Bombay high court to the new circuit bench," he said. The administration has suggested 40 acres of Shenda Park, located just on the outskirts of Kolhapur city, to build the court infrastructure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Beautiful Female Athletes Right Now Undo "This, however, will take four to five years," Khot said. The inauguration of the circuit bench will be held on Aug 16 at Mahasainik Darbar Hall. Khot said that chief justice of India Bhushav Gavai will preside over the function, and chief ministers of Maharashtra and Goa, chief justice of Bombay HC, and both deputy CMs will attend the function. Meanwhile, on Sunday, MLA and executive chairman of the state planning commission Rajesh Kshirsagar visited the under-renovation building at Bhausingji Road. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store