District authorities have drawn up an ambitious Rs.500 crore plan for infrastructural development and road-connectivity, beautification of the "parikrama marg” (21 kilometre around the Goverdhan parbat). District magistrate N Ravi said the Goverdhan plan was likely to be taken up for discussion by the UP government next week.

Environmentalists in the past have highlighted the ecological degradation due to uncontrolled mining in the Barsana area bordering Rajasthan. "The green cover which was under pressure is now being augmented particularly along the parikrama route," an official in Goverdhan said.

The historical Mansi Ganga, a sprawling water body in the heart of the town is in a much better shape today, thanks to cleaning efforts by the local bodies and the pilgrims, said a panda at Daan Ghati, Rakesh ji.

Divisional commissioner Amrit Abhijat in Agra Wednesday cleared an INTACH project to upgrade facilities to control water pollution in the Kusum Sarovar, one of the most beautiful holy ponds on the parikrama marg in Goverdhan. INTACH's project director Manu Bhatnagar said "bio-remediation" techniques would be used to control pollution in Kusum Sarovar and Mansi Ganga in Goverdhan. Same techniques will also be used in Agra's Paliwal Park lake and the infamous Mantola Nullah, he said.

Meanwhile, Naresh Agarwal, an important Samajwadi Party leader and member of Rajya Sabha, said after Goverdhan puja that he would personally pursue the development plans for Goverdhan and make sure that the holy town visited by more than 10 crore pilgrims annually, got its due.

The law and order situation in the holy town had shown a shift for the better, according to Ashok Kumar, a cop at the main Daan Ghati temple told Agratoday.in. "The Goverdhan police station has a strength of around 80 and efficiently manages the crowd inflow which on days crosses 20 lakhs especially around Poornamasi, full moon, when parikrama is considered particularly auspicious," Ashok said, adding "Goverdhan-nathji himself takes care of the bhakts."