VARANASI, July 16, 2013: Keeping in view the forthcoming Shrawan month, minister of state for PWD and irrigation Surendra Patel instructed local officials to ensure basic amenities to Kanwariyas and pilgrims arriving in the city. Kanwariyas and pilgrims would start arriving in the temple town in auspicious Shrawan month beginning from July 23 to offer prayer at KashiVishwanath Temple and other Shiva temples, the city is yet to get ready to give them a clean and conducive environment.

Patel held a meeting at the circuit house on Monday to issue directives to the officials. The PWD engineers were asked to immediately repair the roads of different routes like Allahabad-Varanasi, Ghazipur-Varanasi, Jaunpur-Varanasi andAzamgarh-Varanasi and other link roads. He said that the roads should be repaired on war-footing. The minister warned that the junior engineers would be suspended if potholes are found on any road during inspection.

Patel instructed the district magistrate to keep a constant watch and properly monitor the road repairing works. Taking note of the pathetic condition of the road leading to Sarangnath Mahadev Temple in Sarnath, he asked to repair the road. Sarangnath Mahadev temple also draws huge crowd of devotees during Shrawan. He also instructed for the construction of pathway on Mohansarai-Mudaila road by gram sabha through the fund of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

The Jal Nigam officials were asked to repair and maintain all the handpumps on the routes which Kanwariyas take. The municipal authorities were instructed to remove waste and garbage dumped around places of religious importance and roads leading to these places. The municipal commissioner was also asked to arrange mobile toilets at identified points on Lahurabir-Godowlia and Rathyatra-Godowlia roads. The Jal Sasthan officials were asked to arrange water tankers at places like bus stand, railway station and other identified locations.

Patel said that areas witnessing frequent burning of transformers should be identified and insulated cables should be installed in these areas. He instructed for proper streetlights and smooth traffic arrangements. Instruction were issued for round-the-clock availability of medical teams at identified locations.

The city is in a state of mess with badly damaged roads and unsanitary conditions. Almost all the roads inside the city and leading to other destinations are in bad shape. The mismanagement in handling the municipal waste has made the situation worse in terms of cleanliness. Waterlogging and overflowing of sewage are giving trouble to local residents, leave alone Kanwariyas.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 16, 2013.