Lucknow: The Yogi Government of Uttar Pradesh would construct a dedicated corridor for Banke Bihari temple in Mathura on the tunes of Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
The proposed corridor would ease the reach of pilgrims to the famous temple of Banke Bihari and add to the attraction of temple city of Mathura-Vrindavan.
Local residents oppose move
While the local residents of Mathura have been opposing the move to build corridor, the authorities said it is necessary in the wake of growing number of visitors and the congested route to the temple. The locals have been saying that narrow lanes leading to Banke Bihari temple, known as Kunj Guli, have religious importance and the proposed corridor would destroy it. Besides they said that corridor would displace hundreds of families and shops who are dependent on the Banke Bihari temple for livelihood.
To pacify agitated lot of local residents, Mathura MP Hema Malini had a meeting with them on Sunday and explained them the benefits of the corridor. However, the talks remained inconclusive as the local residents refused to give in. They said the corridor would destroy the culture and traditional look of Mathura-Vrindavan. Hema Malini said that corridor would help in increasing the business as well as the number of visitors.
The cooridor plan
As per the plan, the proposed Banke Bihari corridor would have three entrance and an elevated broad path leading to temple. According to officials of Mathura district administration, there has been incidents of stampede at the entrance of Banke Bihari temple in the recent past resulting in death of few people. The corridor would put an end to such incidents besides making the temple look more elegant. The corridor would be constructed in an area of 5 acres and pilgrims may directly reach to the river banks of Yamuna after offering prayers at the temple. The corridor would also make possible the reach of motor vehicles at the entrance gate of Banke Bihari temple.
The district officials said that that the displaced shop owners would be provided bigger space in the complex proposed in the corridor. Besides, they said that a 25,000 square feet parking in the corridor would be of great relief to the visitors. Resting enclosures, drinking water facilities and free Wi-Fi would also be provided in the corridor. The original structure of Banke Bihari temple would remain the same as per the plan of the corridor.
