Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has prepared a master plan to develop Naimisharanya as a Vedic city and a global centre of spiritual, religious and eco-tourism.
The master plan prepared by the Tourism department is part of the ongoing mission of the state government to develop all religio-cultural and spiritual centres of the state as attractive tourist destinations.
The master plan also includes rejuvenation of Misrikh-Neemsar of Sitapur, along with Naimisharanya. Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has given directions in this regard to top officials of the Tourism department.
In a cabinet meeting held recently, the government had decided to develop Naimisharanya as a spiritual tourism centre in view of its mythological significance. In the meeting, the cabinet also decided to form the Naimisharanya Teerth Vikas Parishad.
A presentation was made in this regard by the architecture and planning faculty of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, on behalf of the Tourism department, before the chief secretary, explaining the complete master plan for the development of Naimisharanya.
According to the master plan, Naimisharanya has been divided into four tourism zones due to its diverse natural and man-made attractions.
During the meeting, Principal Secretary (Tourism) Mukesh Meshram talked about the problem of traffic congestion due to the presence of several gates in the Maa Lalita Devi temple and a variety of shops in the front and said that necessary work would be done to ease the situation.
Meshram further pointed out that the artificial lake (kund), which is currently not in use, would be restored, while attention would also be paid to the facilities and their maintenance necessary for the comfort of the common citizens.
Besides, from the entrance to the Chakra Teerth to the changing and toilet block all structures will be renovated. The master plan will also include cleaning and renovation of Chakra Teerth Kund, Gaukund, Satsang Bhawan, meeting place and waiting area, Godavari Kund and Brahma Kund. Similarly, Dadhichi Kund will also be renovated.
Along with religious places, the city as a whole will be developed. Transit nodes will be developed along with the gateways of the city. Apart from this, dedicated parking lots will be built in the city. Similarly, charging points for electric vehicles as well as common civic amenities like tourist facilitation centre, dharamshala and food court will be provided.
In addition, dedicated footpaths will also be built for the safety of lakhs of pilgrims visiting the place and common facilities will be made available to the citizens in 84 Kosi Parikrama area.
Moreover, tourist facilitation centres will be set up according to the cultural and historical background of the city. Waiting area, cafeteria, changing room and rest rooms will be provided and ghats will be widened.
Meshram added further that non-motorised transport (NMT), whose objective is to reduce the carbon footprint, will also be provided. According to him, since Sitapur is majorly dependent on groundwater resources, an alternative source needs to be developed to avoid groundwater depletion. In this context, the government is planning to encourage people to adopt the rainwater harvesting system.
He said that a rainwater harvesting system should be provided in new and all public buildings. A rainwater system is required to be provided for the development of more than 5,000 square metres.
The rejuvenation of Naimisharanya has been planned in three ways. Under the first plan, all the religious places will be rejuvenated by the Tourism department. These include Chakra Teerth temple, Maa Lalita Devi temple, Dadhichi Kund, transit nodes at the entrance of cities, common civic amenities, development of 84 Kosi Parikrama path and tourism based infrastructure.
The second plan is for developing the place through grants from the Central and state governments. This will include strengthening of the water supply network, laying underground sewer lines and setting up sewage treatment plants, building roads and parking lots, providing facilities for solid waste management, fire stations and installing street lights.
The third plan focuses on developing hotels, electric vehicle charging points, transportation facilities and commercial spaces in a public-private partnership (PPP) model.