Jagran correspondent, Mathura. The long wait of 10 years for the rejuvenation of Yamuna Ghats from near Banke Bihari Temple to Kesighat in Vrindavan is now over. Officials of the Irrigation Department and the executing agency conducted an access inspection on Thursday. Eight Yamuna Ghats will be developed from Kesighat to Banke Bihari Temple in a length of 600 meters. The cost of the project of expansion, renovation and beautification of Yamuna Ghats will be Rs 177.81 crore. To improve the condition of Yamuna Ghats from Banke Bihari Temple to Kesighat, an action plan of River Front in Vrindavan was made in 2014. At that time, a three-four feet high cement wall was built in front of the Yamuna Ghats to prevent soil erosion and to stop the water. Underground pipes were laid.
Meanwhile, Vrindavan's social activist Madhumangal Shukla had filed a petition in the High Court in 2016, arguing that polluted water from drains was flowing into Yamuna and no provision was made for it in the River Front Action Plan. Since then this project was put on hold. Later, tapping of drains was done by Jalnigam. A total of 23 drains were to be tapped in Mathura-Vrindavan, out of which 19 drains have been tapped, while the process of tapping the remaining drains is in the final stage.
The Irrigation Department, on behalf of the Water Corporation, gave an affidavit in the High Court that the remaining drains of Vrindavan will be tapped even before the construction of the river front in Vrindavan. In August 2024, the High Court lifted the stay on river front construction, after which the government allowed the work on the river front to begin.
However, even after that the matter remained stuck for two years in getting NOC from National Ganga Mission. After getting the NOC, Irrigation Department's XEN Naveen Kumar and AE Rakesh Kumar inspected the Yamuna banks in Vrindavan on Thursday to restart the work which had been stalled for years. UPPCL, the executing agency of the Irrigation Department, will restart the work on Unit-32. This work will be completed by June 2026. These works will be lighting system at the selected ghats, benches for tourists to sit etc. Kesighat will be at the center of this project, where apart from aarti-bath, other religious activities will take place every day on the ghat which is about 125 meters wide. Space is relatively less at other ghats, where the work will be done as per the availability of space. There will also be parking of vehicles near the river front, for which places will be searched. There will be expansion, renovation and beautification of these ghats - Kesighat, Jugal Ghat, Govind Ghat, Bhramar Ghat, Varah Ghat, Vihar Ghat, Ranapat Ghat and Chir Ghat.
This ambitious project of Vrindavan River Front is starting again. This project will give a new look to the Yamuna Ghats in Vrindavan. They will be expanded and renovated while keeping their mythological identity intact. Naveen Kumar, XEN, Irrigation Department
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