Ghaziabad: Dudheswar Nath temple corridor in the city remains incomplete ahead of the annual Kanwar Yatra next month, with road-widening work stalled due to encroachments. Officials said the NCR Promotional Board has released Rs 5.3 crore for the project, which has funded a gateway, a community centre with a capacity of 2,000, murals and electrification.The project has been underway for four years, but around 65 houses and shops along the approach lanes still need to be removed, with authorities facing resistance from occupants. The temple attracts lakhs of devotees during the Kanwar pilgrimage and more than 10 lakh pilgrims on Shivratri, making crowd management a major challenge until the approach roads are widened.“We hoped that the work would be completed before the Kanwar Yatra this year. Since the area is congested, it becomes tough for administration and temple management to manage the crowd, and I don’t think this year is going to be any different,” said Mahant Narayan Giri, head priest of Dudeshwar Nath Temple.The UP tourism department was tasked with carrying out the facelift.
Officials said the work is almost completed inside the temple premises
According to Deepika, an official from the department, work is almost completed inside the temple premises. “The roads and lanes leading to the temple come under the ambit of the district administration. Since the lanes are dotted with houses and shops, which need to be relocated,” the official said.A 70m gateway has been constructed at the entrance at a cost of around Rs 2.2 crore. The estimated cost to develop the internal pathway leading to the temple will be Rs 58.2 lakh. Facade lighting has come up at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore while Rs 24.7 lakh has been spent on murals and paintings. A community centre, with a capacity to host 2,000 visitors, has also been built on the premises.On the road widening work, the district administration said that a survey was conducted to identify the houses and shops that would need to be relocated. “These constructions, many of which are encroachments, will have to be demolished. Notices have been issued, but some of them approached the court and there is nothing we can do till there is a decision,” an official said.The temple can be accessed from GT Road on one side and Vijay Nagar on the other.
