Mathura residents riled up over Bankey Bihari temple corridor

Mathura, Jan 17: The Yogi Adityanath administration's plan to construct a Bankey Bihari temple corridor in the ancient city of Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, along the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor Project in Varanasi, is being fiercely opposed by locals residents who claim the project would rob them of ancestral homes and affect their livelihoods.

Priests and shopkeepers have now sent letters written in blood to the Chief Minister, asking him to put the project on hold. According to the reports, the state government will acquire five acres of land around the temple. Around 300 shops and houses will be demolished as per the proposed Bankey Bihari temple corridor.

"In protest against the proposed development of the corridor, over 300 shops operating in the vicinity around the temple were closed on Monday. We have written letters, using our blood as ink, to the Prime Minister and chief minister demanding not to allow the destruction of the area in the name of the flawed plan of development. We want development to happen here but not in this way," Amit Gautam, president of the Bankey Bihari Vyaparik Association said, as quoted by IANS.

It must be noted that, three years ago, more than 200 houses and shops were razed in Varanasi, to make way for the Vishwanath Dham project.

On Sunday, Lok Sabha MP from Mathura, BJP's Hema Malini, had said that the corridor will open the gates for international tourism, facilitating pilgrims to pay their obeisance to the deity without hassle. Acknowledging the concerns of traders, priests, and residents, she assured them that all stakeholders' interests would be taken into account. The actor-politician stated that neither the ancient culture of Vrindavan would be hampered nor the natural beauty of Vrindavan is going to suffer, the actress-turned-politician said, adding that care would also be taken for retaining both. She rejected the apprehension that it would plunder the heritage of Vrindavan.

After the construction of the Bankey Bihari temple corridor, like Varanasi, Vrindavan will also become the first choice for international tourists since the natural beauty of Vrindavan is renowned all over the world, she added.

For the proposed corridor, an eight-member committee had completed a survey earlier this month on the orders of the Allahabad high court. The state government told the Court that it has already acquired over five acres of land adjacent to the temple for development and construction.

The Banke Bihari corridor, which would be able to accommodate as many as 5,000 devotees at a time, was first announced in August 2022. The budget will be up to Rs 248 cr and the temple trust is also likely to contribute to the redevelopment of the temple premises.