PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haridwar
Ahead of the Kanwad Mela, a significant road project, initiated during the 2021 Kumbh Mela and has remained incomplete for years, has now reached its final stages. The completion of this route will strengthen the traffic system during the Kanwad Mela and is being seen as the fair’s ‘lifeline’, said senior officials associated with this project, adding that as part of the Kumbh Mela development work, an alternative route had been constructed from the Shri Yantra Temple via Bairagi Camp to the National Highway opposite the Om Bridge.
Sharing details of the ongoing road construction, which, when completed, is likely to help the Kanwad Mela devotees, the officers said that two bowstring bridges were constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 10 crore each, while approximately Rs12 crore was spent on road construction.
This project, costing approximately Rs 32 crore, has remained incomplete for long. The dispute centred on an approximately 800-meter stretch of land with the Forest department claiming ownership and consequently, the construction got halted. The Forest department would often dig deep ditches along the road, obstructing traffic, causing significant inconvenience to residents. Large vehicles and local residents traveling to Bairagi Camp faced difficulties due to the poor road conditions, and there was also the risk of accidents.
Now, thanks to the efforts of the Mela officer Sonika, a solution to this long-standing problem seems near. The officers, privy to the construction details, said that about 90 per cent of the work has been completed. This route is expected to be fully ready for the Kanwad Yatra in a few days.
