Extending from Bateshwar, 70 km south of Agra to Kot-van near Kosi, the Braj Mandal is a repository of culture, art and religious beliefs that draw countless million devotees round the year.
And, with the world's tallest Sri Krishna temple under construction at Vrindavan, plus the celebrations associated with Chaitnya Mahaparabhu's 500th year of his first visit to Vrindavan, the number of visitors to the holy Braj mandal is only going to increase. Luckily, Modi government has shown keen interest in taking up on priority the Braj Heritage Development Plan
Why are Hindu pilgrim centres so dirty? This is the question that every pilgrim who comes to Mathura or Vrindavan asks.
A visit to popular Shri Krishna shrines in the Braj area, reveals the sordid saga of callous neglect and under-development, with heaps of garbage and dirt piling up around temples, near the holy ponds and the river banks.
UP CM Akhilesh Yadav has announced his plan to review developmental projects. The Modi government has already selected Mathura as a heritage city for which a fresh development plan is being drawn up. Joint secretary in the central urban development ministry Pravin Prakash had long discussions for two days with the stake holders and visited many sites.
Mathura municipal authorities say the resources crunch inhibits any major offensive against dirt, as you need means and a workable mechanism to ensure the garbage is regularly collected, transported and treated. "But the city and the towns around like Vrindavan, Goverdhan, Gokul or Barsana, have no proper land-fill sites, or dumping grounds. Sewage treatment plants hardly work and for days garbage is not lifted. The heaps start stinking and attract flies and mosquitoes," says Jagan Nath Poddar, convener of Frinds of Vrindavan, an NGO that collects waste from temples to recycle through vermiculture into useful manure.
"The drains are choked because of polythene bags. The sewer lines are not functional because the water pressure is not there," adds a priest Krishna Das in Gokul.
The Joint Secretary of the central urban development ministry Pravin Prakash who was in Vrindavan to interact with the locals on the proposed heritage city plan, was told by not only foreign pilgrims but also by Indian Sri Krishna Bhakts that they were most offended by dirt and squalor. They wanted urgent steps to address the problem of choked sewer lines and open drains discharging into the river Yamuna. District magistrate Rajesh Kumar and other senior officials were with him.
"The challenge of garbage is Himalayan. That's because the four main shrines of Braj Goverdhan, Gokul, Mathura and Vrindavan, are visited by more than 10 crore pilgrims round the year. No other religious hub in the country attracts so many visitors throughout the year. If you add Barsana which draws a huge crowd for Holi celebrations, the number of visitors could be many times more," says author and activist Dr. Ashok Bansal. With the opening of the Yamuna Expressway, the pressure has only increased, he added.
The grim reality however is that the government bodies are simply not equipped to provide a clean, friendly and affordable infrastructure to the visitors. The municipal bodies say they are short of manpower and financial commitments are running high these days. "The elected members blame the government functionaries who pass the buck explaining the state government is not releasing funds," adds Madhu Mangal Shukla, an RTI activist.
An official report prepared by the Mathura municipality officials says "there is no segregation of solid waste at source. The city does not have garbage bins and often the garbage is thrown on the roadside. Only two dumper placers are available with the NPP, and the waste is being transported in open dumper placers. The disposal of the garbage is being done in unscientific way, as the single disposal site is around 7 kms away from the city. With around 485 permanent sweepers and 265 contractual sweepers, the NPP, Mathura is still unable to provide satisfactory services."
Solid waste management alongwith drainage is the most poorly delivered service. The city produces around 200 MT waste daily. Due to lack of infrastructure and manpower only half the garbage can be transported to open dumping sites on the outskirts of the city which has more than 200 dairies and 50 odd nursing homes.
All the hard work done by various agencies and local industries in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, extending over 10,000 sq km and home to numerous monumental marvels, to contain environmental pollution now seems wasted and proving counter-productive.
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