Kashi Vikas Yatra
Kashi is said to be older than tradition and history. Mark Twain once quoted, “ *Kashi* is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”
Before mentioning all the development activities occurring since 2014, Here I want to mention how the city of Varanasi used to be before 2014: –
Single lane Roads, No Bridges, no flyovers, No Railway over Bridge, No Malls, No sewerage or drainage system, Narrow roads, Crowded lanes, Electricity cut Off most of the time, Land rates were very low. The airport was very small with a small runway, with congested Traffic, filth & garbage everywhere & many untreated sewage & Dirty waters containing chemicals was put back in the river Ganga & People visiting the city use to sometimes carelessly throw rubbish such as bottles and crisp packets directly into the river.
And a lot more…..
After 2014……In 2014 after a massive win the NDA government was formed at the centre , immediately after PM Narendra Modiji took stock of the situations in his constituency & on a war footing took the initiative to complete all the projects which were lying untouched for years & his engagements in this period covered from aspects as diverse as infrastructure, railways, textiles, financial inclusion, environment and sanitation, animal husbandry, culture and spiritualit
The sanctioned projects include –
*Varanasi Ring Road Four lane project of Varanasi-Lucknow, National Highway 56.
* Cleaning of the Holy Ganga River with all the latest technologies available.
* Making Banaras Hindu University more popular by launching different projects.
* Providing Wifi at different ghats of Varanasi.
* Modiji inaugurates the International Rice Research Institute’s South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi which will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia.
* Construction of toilets for public use. And Making people aware of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by carrying out awareness program.
* It should also be noted that after 2014, most of the time Electricity is 24/7, rarely there is Electricity cut off.
* Regularly conducting programs for Swachh Bharat mission.
* Samne Ghat bridge which was under construction since 2006 and was stagnant for last few years has been completed within 6 months of Modiji’s govt.
* Modernization of the Terminal station of Varanasi, the Manduadih Railway station & making it a smart railway station.*Modernization of Varanasi Cantt railway stations.
* Providing e-rickshaw to the people of below poverty level.
* Providing escalators and lift at the railway station.
* Giving preference to the handloom sector of Varanasi which represent the culture of Varanasi and creating a global market for them.
* Providing solar lights at different public places.
* Providing a world-class LED lighting system at the ghats of Ganga River for Ganga aarti.
* Improving the sewage system of the whole city. And setting up of wastewater treatment plant.
* Provision for increasing the runway of Lal Bahadur Shastri airport.
* Running specials Trains like Mahamana Express (This train is named after and in honour of Pt. Shri Madan Mohan Malaviya freedom fighter & an educationist) and Palace on wheels from Varanasi.
* Land rates which were earlier of Rs 10000 for 1360sq.ft in villages till 2014 got increased to mammoth 5–10lakhs for 1360sq.ft in 2018 making the farmers richer.
* Utkarsh Bank which specialises in micro finance which operates as a non-banking finance company that provides micro pensions, enterprise and housing loans.
* Introduction of water ambulance service & Jal shav Vahan both waters-based vehicle.
* Ramna sewage treatment plant.* Distributed loan waiver certificates to some farmers.
Now the most important development project which Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has provided are: –
1) Opening trade facilitation centres for weavers
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated _“a trade facilitation centre”_ for Varanasi’s famed weavers during his maiden visit to the holy city after winning the Lok Sabha elections. This trade facilitation centre will provide a marketing platform to weavers and artisans from the Muslim community. Modiji announced that every weaver would be included in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and its benefits directly transferred to bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
2) Signed a deal with Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe to transform Varanasi into a “Smart Heritage City based on Kyoto city Model”
In this respect a MoU was signed soon after Modi’s five—day visit to Varanasi, it provides for cooperation in heritage conservation, city modernization, and cooperation in the fields of art, culture, and academics. Varanasi will be developed into a ‘smart city’ by using the experience of Kyoto, the ’smart city’ of Japan.
3) Work on improving & developing the Assi Ghat- wi-fi connectivity throughout the major Ghats.
4) Providing a *Jal Marg Vikas Project* aims at developing the stretch of the river between _Varanasi_ and _Haldia_ for navigation of large vessels weighing up to 1,500 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government of India and the World Bank. The main objective of the project is to promote inland waterways as a cheap and environment-friendly means of transportation, especially for cargo movement.
5) Swachh Bharat Mission’s initiative in the city has transformed the holy city’s face entirely.
* Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which was launched on October 2014, got a push in Varanasi when PM Modiji himself wielded a spade and dug up silt at the iconic Assi ghat during his visit to the city. Varanasi Nagar Nigam is the body for the mission here. VNN in association with local non-government organizations and volunteers carried out over 150 cleanliness awareness drives among locals at different places, including iconic ghats, lanes, mohallas, schools, and colleges.
6) Pushed construction of Ring Road around Varanasi & as an MP Modiji has adopted three villages in Varanasi ie Jayapur, Nagepur & Kakrahia, under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana & have made it a model village.
* In a village of 700-odd families, 135 solar street lights have come up. There is a solar pump near the under-construction ‘Panchayat Bhawan’ which fills in ample water in an overhead tank. Of the 15 bio-toilets to come up in the village, eight are already functional.
“Soon after Prime Minister Modi adopted the village, there was a lot of work that happened. We got new roads, solar electricity provisions were made, the toilets were constructed and we also got piped water. There were a lot of non-governmental organizations and private companies who came to work in the village at that time,”
We as a citizen of Varanasi *felt the change* which PM Narendra Modiji has bought in and it has been only 4.5 years for his governance so we believe he will make more changes in Varanasi in due course.
* I cannot say that Narendra Modi has changed Varanasi 100 % but Yes we can feel the change which is in process and we have to keep faith in him and be optimistic about future development.Visit Varanasi once in a life time and you will feel the change & love it.
* Today after so many development activities completed & so many in its last stage of completion & many new projects also launched & on the ground lots of changes can be noticed, still Some irresponsible Corrupt opposition parties who have ruled the state but never bothered for the development of the city are commenting & giving irresponsible statement’s that Ganga is still not clean. Let me tell you that Ganges is much cleaner than before, yes, it is not like a pure Ganges but who are responsible for that Narendra Modiji or we people. Think over it.
* We Indian’s need to change our *mind sets* & follow the path of *Cleanliness*. As *Cleanliness is godliness*. When the mind is cleansed of all primordial impurities, then and then only real godliness of actual practical potential begins to manifest.
You throw your waste products in Ganges. You go and take bath in Ganges. You go and throw all the religious waste in Ganges. Never forget Environmental cleanliness begins with individual desire to be clean.