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Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Banke Bihari corridor: UP govt firmsup plan to relocate affected families
Agra: Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) has selected four large plots to construct 350 flats under a group housing scheme to relocate around 275 affected families, especially those in the temple town's Rukmini Vihar area, as part of the proposed Banke Bihari corridor project. The development comes amid ongoing opposition to the proposed corridor by residents, including the Goswami community, whose members are considered the temple's 'sevayats' -- hereditary priests who manage daily rituals and other affairs at the temple, which is regarded as one of the most revered Krishna shrines in north India, attracting lakhs of pilgrims. Mathura district magistrate (DM), Chandra Prakash Singh, said, "Landowners affected by Banke Bihari Ji corridor would be given the option to resettle in Rukmini Vihar or Sunrakh Bangar in Mathura's Vrindavan. Both the places have been earmarked, and residential flats will be developed there by MVDA." The land acquisition for the corridor is set to impact at least 275 property owners, including 200 shopkeepers, the DM said, adding that the shopkeepers will most likely be allocated shops within the corridor, with compensation provided based on their land and property. "Families impacted by the project will have the option to relocate to a single area, for which a housing scheme blueprint has been prepared," Singh further said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Undo MVDA vice-chairman Shyam Bahadur Singh said, "If needed, additional land in nearby areas might be identified to increase the number of flats. Additionally, approximately 3.5 acres have been selected in Sunrakh Bangar in Mathura." MVDA secretary Arvind Kumar Dwivedi added that the design of the proposed flats has been finalised and constructing homes in the Rukmini Vihar Scheme in Vrindavan is top priority for them. Meanwhile, Gyanendra Kishor Goswami, a member of the temple management, rejected the proposal. He said, "This is a conspiracy to take control of the temple from the Goswamis who have been managing it for centuries. People who are living near the temple have been there for many generations, and is it sensible to shift them to a new place overnight? The compensation that they are going to offer is also not acceptable to the people. " The move to redevelop the place came up after a stampede-like incident on Janmashtami in 2022, that claimed two lives. In Sept 2023, Allahabad HC instructed the state govt to implement a corridor plan for improved crowd management and safety. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Banke Bihari Corridor: Mathura admin draws up rehab scheme
: Amid the Goswamis' vocal opposition to the Banke Bihari Corridor plan, the Mathura district administration has come up with a scheme to rehabilitate the sevayats or servitors (the Goswami community members engaged in prayers and priestly duties) at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. The plan envisages accommodating the sevayats at Rukmani Vihar in Vrindavan. The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to form a trust to manage the Banke Bihari Temple and oversee the construction of the corridor has met with strong opposition from the Goswami community, the hereditary priests who have managed the temple for centuries. They view this as a government 'takeover' attempt, eroding their traditional authority and control over the temple's affairs. In the context of Hindu temples, sevayats are individuals or families who are responsible for performing various ritual services and duties related to the deity and the temple. Their position is hereditary. The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for the Banke Bihari Corridor, an ambitious plan to ease crowd congestion and enhance the pilgrimage experience around the shrine. The state government has brought an ordinance to create a Trust to run the temple and oversee work of the proposed corridor. After the recent visit of Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the special advisor to chief minister, to Vrindavan on June 6, the work for the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor has gathered pace. The Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority has selected land in Rukmani Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar for a residential scheme to rehabilitate 275 families to be affected by the Banke Bihari corridor, Mathura district magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said on Wednesday. 'The work for the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor to enhance facilities for lakhs of devotees coming to the Banke Bihari Temple is attaining pace. Physical verification is being conducted for land measuring 5.5 acres required for the proposed corridor. Alongside this, we have drafted schemes to rehabilitate those to be affected by the corridor,' the Mathura DM said. 'The district administration will offer to settle the land owners affected by the corridor at Rukmani Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar in Vrindavan. The land has been selected and flats will be brought up in a residential scheme. The work is to be undertaken by Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority,' Singh said. 'The 275 land owners to be affected by acquisition of land for Banke Behari corridor include 200 shopkeepers. These shop owners will be allocated shops within the Banke Bihari corridor and compensation will be provided on the basis of land and shops being affected. Those affected by the corridor will be provided the option to settle in a common region for which a residential scheme has been worked out,' Chandra Prakash Singh said. Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority vice chairman Shyam Bahadur Singh said, 'We plan to construct 325 to 350 flats, both 1 BHK and 2 BHK, on four big plots at Rukmani Vihar Residential Scheme. If required, the number of flats will be increased by marking out adjoining land. Further, land measuring 3.5 acres has been selected at Sunrakh Bangar in Vrindavan.' 'Plots measuring 3924.91 square metres, 2844 square metres, 1800 square metres and 1504 square metres have been selected in Rukmani Vihar where 325 to 350 flats are to be developed under Group Housing Scheme having 1 BHK and 2 BHK flats,' he said. 'A design has been planned for flats to be constructed for affected families because of the corridor. Houses in Rukmani Vihar are on top priority,' said Arvind Kumar Dwivedi, secretary of MVDA. When asked about the proposal, Rajat Goswami, the former vice-president of the erstwhile managing committee at the Banke Bihari Temple (defunct after a court order), stated that the district administration has not communicated any such rehabilitation plan to them and they are not in position to react as of now. 'The district administration is in conversation with us on various aspects, but has not communicated any such plan in writing to us. The stakeholders should be taken into confidence before making such plans public,' Rajat Goswami said. Earlier, seeking a consensus on the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor project, Awasthi held meetings with local residents, traders and Goswamis (priests) in Vrindavan on June 6. On May 15, the Supreme Court paved the way for a state government scheme to develop the Banke Bihari Corridor for the benefit of devotees. The apex court also allowed the state government to use temple funds to purchase five-acre land for the corridor. The state government on May 27 constituted a Trust to manage the Banke Bihari temple and oversee the work of the proposed corridor.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
‘Plastic-Free Braj Ki Raj' campaign launched in Mathura to eliminate single-use plastic
Agra: The district administration in Mathura has launched a new campaign titled ' Plastic-Free Braj Ki Raj ' to eliminate single-use plastic from the initiative, which began with a training session for village heads and officials, aims to tackle the rising plastic waste problem in the temple town, which sees lakhs of pilgrims every part of the campaign, a one-day orientation programme was held on Thursday for the heads of 495 village panchayats and 129 gram panchayat secretaries. District magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh urged village heads to use the remainder of their tenure to eliminate single-use plastic from their areas. He said plastic accounts for over 50% of village waste and stressed the need for collective community action to preserve Braj heads were instructed to hold open meetings involving self-help group women, council members, ASHA workers, anganwadi staff, ration dealers, caretakers, and sanitation workers. Each household is to be encouraged to separate and store plastic waste in dedicated to the administration, sanitation workers will collect this waste door-to-door along fixed routes and schedules. Households will be charged a nominal fee of Rs 1 per day for waste collection and sanitation services, with proceeds used to hire additional workers to maintain village cleanliness."We held a meeting with all village heads of Mathura district at Panchjanya Auditorium to drive this initiative across both rural and urban areas," said DM Chandra Prakash Singh. "The soil of Braj is sacred, and lakhs of pilgrims come here for parikrama of Shri Giriraj, Shri Vrindavan Dham, and the 84-Kosi Parikrama. We are determined to make the entire region plastic-free. The campaign has already begun in rural areas and is being intensified in urban zones."
