UP Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Stamp and Court Registration Fees Ravindra Jaiswal instructed the local district administration officers to get a survey for metro rail service in the city. He categorically denied the views of many that metro rail service would not be possible in Varanasi on the basis of a survey done earlier. Holding a meeting with officials at the Circuit House here Wednesday, Jaiswal said that the metro would be 110 per cent successful in Varanasi and laid a special emphasis on getting the Detailed Project Report (DPR) by an agency.
“Earlier, in the DPR prepared for Metro Rail, it was proposed to acquire land for Rs 4,000 crore,” he said, adding that it may be possible because Kashi has been developed with an amount of more than Rs 38,000 crore in the last nine years. He directed the concerned officers to provide basic facilities to the general public by providing drinking water and sewer lines to every house, besides solving the problems of traffic jams. He also directed the officers to make all the roads properly repaired and ensure removal of illegal encroachments from the pathways to help the people get rid of the traffic jams.
“Working in Kashi is like a religious pilgrimage,”he said, asking the officers to acquire 200 metres of land on both sides of the Ring Road for a permanent solution to the traffic jam in the city, along with building a Greenland, service lanes and big malls there. He also stressed the need for proper development of foodgrain, vegetable and jewellery markets in the middle of the city apart from zone-wise development of business establishments. Emphasising on the deteriorating identity of Kashi due to multi-storey buildings being built in the mid of the city, he said that such big buildings should be constructed on the Ring Road.
During the review of the drinking water scheme, he raised the question of connecting 56,000 houses to the drinking water pipeline under the Amrit Yojana in the Varunapar (Trans-Varuna) area. In the meeting, District Magistrate S Rajalingam said that effective action would be taken against encroachments.
For this, a joint team of SDM Sadar, PWD, Municipal Corporation and other departments has been formed. Additional District Officer (City) was directed to take effective action on the encroachment.
In the meeting, Commissioner of Police (CP) Ashok Mutha Jain, Vice Chairman of Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) Abhishek Goyal, Municipal Commissioner Shipu Giri and other departmental officers and others were also present. After the meeting, Jaiswal, along with the CP and DM, did a site inspection of the construction of about two and a half feet high construction on the Pandeypur-Daulatpur road by the PWD.
He said that as a result of which about 35 nearby colonies are facing the problem of water logging now.