Chandigarh: Haryana will construct a 90-room guest house on 6.5 acres of land at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra at a cost of Rs 120 crore, chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said while reviewing preparations for the International Gita Jayanti celebrations at a meeting of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) on Wednesday. The chief minister also announced plans to construct a Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh Gate at Purushottampura, renovate the ancient Draupadi Koop in accordance with the recommendations of the Archaeology Department, and beautify Brahma Sarovar with peacock-feather-shaped lights and tiles. An entrance gate and a Gita Pillar will also be constructed at Jyotisar.Chairing the 83rd meeting of the KDB’s governing body, governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh stressed the need to strengthen transportation services and connectivity for devotees and tourists visiting the International Gita Mahotsav. He called for better access to the fairgrounds and expanded bus services to ensure visitors do not face inconvenience.The International Gita Jayanti celebrations will be held in Kurukshetra from Dec 5 to 25. Saini said West Bengal and Delhi would participate as partner states this year. For the first time, the Indian Navy, Air Force, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will participate in the exhibition organised during the festival.An awareness campaign will begin on Dec 2, covering 182 pilgrimage sites in the 48-kos region, followed by a procession from Pipli on December 4. The programme will include Bhagwat Katha, Gita conferences, a crafts fair, a Gita book fair and an exhibition marking 60 years of Haryana’s formation. The chief minister said district-level Gita Jayanti celebrations would be held from December 18 to 20. Gita recitation programmes would also be organised in temples in every village of the state. Students from Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country would be encouraged to participate in the celebrations.Reviewing development works, Saini directed the formation of a joint committee comprising Kurukshetra deputy commissioner Vishram Meena and his OSD, B B Bharti, to audit pending works and submit a report. He said strict action would be taken against those found responsible for irregularities. Development works would henceforth be undertaken by the KDB itself instead of being executed separately by different departments.The chief minister said a master plan had been prepared for Saraswati Tirth at Pehowa, where a parikrama route spanning more than two kilometres would be developed. Eleven roundabouts in Kurukshetra would be renovated and beautified, with tenders already issued. Twelve additional sites were being surveyed, which would take the number of pilgrimage sites under the Board to 194. He also directed that a month-long cleanliness drive be conducted in the KDB area before the celebrations. Cleanliness boxes would be installed at various locations, and a dedicated sanitation force would be established. Transportation and traffic arrangements would also be strengthened to facilitate the movement of visitors.The chief minister said the International Gita Jayanti celebrations had established Kurukshetra’s identity at the global level and that the city would be developed in all respects to ensure comprehensive growth. Governor Ghosh and Saini also launched the Digital Heritage App and the Kurukshetra Sarathi Mobile App.
