Lucknow,
27 May (HS): After gaining approval from the Supreme Court, the Uttar
Pradesh government constituted a trust to handle the operations of the Banke
Bihari temple as well as monitor development on the proposed corridor. On May
15, the Supreme Court approved the acquisition of five acres of property
surrounding the temple using funds raised via temple contributions. Land will be acquired in the name of the
reigning god. The proposed corridor,
similar to the one around the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, will include
all public services while also ensuring the safety of pilgrims who are forced
to navigate via exceedingly small and scary roads to reach the shrine. The disaster in 2022, in which two people
died, fueled the notion of a corridor capable of accommodating 10,000 people at
once.
The trust's first responsibility
will be to monitor the temple's plans for worship and security during the Teej
festival, which begins on July 27 this year. The newly created trust will
include 18 members: seven ex-officio officials, 11 senior nominated members,
and two representatives from the temple's traditional Goswami community. A CEO will shortly be chosen to oversee the
trust's operations and guarantee effective governance. The corridor would connect Banke Bihari Temple
to other prominent shrines like as Radha Raman and Madan Mohan, making
pilgrimage routes more efficient under the wider Braj Teerth Vikas plan. This
proposal calls for a suspension bridge across the Yamuna River, just in front
of the new road.
This bridge will connect the Yamuna
Expressway side of Vrindavan to the temple, allowing visitors to park across
the river and proceed to the temple grounds by e-rickshaw or small car. Several
Vrindavan locals have long opposed the idea.
Among these are little merchants selling their wares in the
alleyways. Greater criticism has emerged
from people who are concerned that the character of Vrindavan would be lost in
the name of development, despite the fact that the state's chief minister has
stated that dialogue will be the foundation of progress.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
