Uttar Pradesh clears ropeways construction at religious spots

, Dec 11: The

government has given a green signal for the construction of ropeways in Barsana, Mirzapur and Chitrakoot- all religious places and known to attract thousands of devotees each year, an official said on Wednesday.

The proposals were cleared by the Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (IIDC). Under the proposed project, ropeways would be built under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model.

The main intention of building the ropeway is to develop travel and tourism.

The Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority has now been directed to create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for construction of a ropeway in Barsana, the birth place of Goddess Radha.

Barsana, close to religious spots Mathura and Vrindavan, attracts millions of domestic and foreign tourists every year.

The 'lath maar holi' of this place is world famous and we want to tap the potential of this place as a tourist attraction, an official told IANS.

The state government has also cleared the decks for the construction of a ropeway for 'Laxman Sthal' in the Devangana valley at Chitrakoot.

It has also cleared ropeway plans for the Vindhyavasini temple in Mirzapur, which is thronged by devotees from across the country throughout the year.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, Rajya Sabha member Kusum Rai, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, are devotees and visit the place frequently.

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and his family have also in the past been regulars at the Vindhyavasini temple.

IANS