Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 339-crore project – the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Monday, 13 December, at around 1 pm.
Modi had laid the foundation stone on 8 March 2019, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has been completed in less than three years as planned.
On Sunday, Modi said in a tweet, "Tomorrow, 13th December is a landmark day. At a special programme in Kashi, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham project will be inaugurated. This will add to Kashi's spiritual vibrancy. I would urge you all to join tomorrow's programme."
Here Are the Highlights of the Projects:
With a paved 75-metre wide corridor, the project connects Kashi Vishwanath temple with the Ganga river.
As per a government release, 23 buildings will be inaugurated as part of the project, including a tourist facilitation centre, Vedic Kendra, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, city museum, viewing gallery, and food court, among others.
The project area stands at 5 lakh square feet, a massive upgrade from the previous 3,000 square feet premises.
More than 300 properties had been acquired for the project. The government release adds, "In this endeavour, the rehabilitation of around 1400 shopkeepers, tenants and homeowners were done amicably."
During the destruction of the properties, more than 40 temples were "rediscovered, restored and beautified."
The architect of the project is Bimal Patel, who is also in-charge of the Central Vista redevelopment project in New Delhi.
Modi will also visit the Kaal Bhairav temple around noon and witness Ganga aarti while on-board a Ro-Ro Vessel around 6 pm.
On Tuesday, 14 December, Modi will participate in a conclave of chief ministers (CMs) of 12 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states, along with deputy CMs from Bihar and Nagaland, where they will share "governance related best practices."
BJP spokesperson Ashok Pandey was quoted as saying, “There will be grand celebrations. The inauguration ceremony will be streamed live to over 51,000 places across the state and other parts of the country, and jalabhishek will be performed in Shiv temples across Varanasi. Also, 8 lakh packets of prasad will be distributed along with a booklet about the history of the temple in all the households across Varanasi,” Indian Express reported.
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