AGENDA FOR VRINDAVAN'S DEVELOPMENT

 

Vrindavan

 

When president Pranab Mukherjee walks down the lane to Sri Bankey Bihari ji temple Sunday afternoon, after laying the foundation stone of ISKCON's temple project, the ugly scars of gross negligence of this holy town and years of administrative mismanagement will remain  obscured  from his view by the gloss and glitter created by a fotnight's almost round the clock work by development agencies.

 

Vrindavan folks are hoping that the president's visit would help change the profile of the town that draws millions of pilgrims from all over the world round the year. "Since local activists and NGO functionaries working for the restoration of the pristine glory of the "leela bhoomi of Sri Krishn-Radha, have not been permitted to meet the president, we hope the media would highlight some of the more pressing infrastructural projects that have been hanging fire for far too long," said Jagan Nath Poddar, convener of the Friends of Vrindavan.

 

Work on several projects has suffered after state government's announcement two months ago of merging Vrindavan with Mathura to upgrade the local body to a municipal corporation. The uncertainty continues as Vrindavan activists and saints have been resisting the new move.

 

Garbage and waste disposal is one of the chief problems of this town because there is no landfill site available and the town lacks a scientific mechanism supported by adequate resources to sustain the cleanliness drive launched by prime minister Narendra Modi, says Madhu Mangal Shukla, an RTI activist fighting for Yamuna.

 

The city does not have a sewer system. "Most homes either have the old system of latrines or depend on septic tanks. In the morning you will see drains overflowing with human excreta. The alarming dimension of this problem is the reported criminal act by some multi-storeyed complexes of discharging toilet waste directly into the earth through borings. The fear is that the underground reserves would be poisoned with toxic substances, if this practice was not checked," commented Alok Goswami, an activist.

 

Despite repeated demands Vrindavan does not have a proper cremation ground along the river bank. The main congregation ground which was reserved for the Kumbh mela every 12 years, is now disappearing as new concrete structures are built. "The next Kumbh will be in 2022, but where no one knows," comments a sadhu Charan Das.

 

Vrindavan's demand for a peacock sanctuary has not received the attention it deserves, say the locals. The peacocks for want of care are dying. "Everyone knows Sri Krishna loved peacocks and he used peacock feathers in his head gear. The monkeys are murdering them. Their natural habitats have disappeared," laments Kunj Bihari Sharma. Though there are several "gaushalas" but no concrete work has been done on pursuing and concretising "Cow Economy" concept. The sacred groves of Vrindavan need to be protected, many have already vanished or converted into concrete jungles.

 

Since Vrindavan's popularity has increased in recent years, the number of visitors has shot up. "Most touch and go type bhakts come zooming in big cars causing traffic bottlenecks. Each day there are traffic jams on the main road and its virtually impossible to get through the narrow lanes due to vehicles. Vrindavan badly needs a traffic management plan and more traffic cops on duty," suggests a frequent visitor to Vrindavan Bankey Bihari Maheshwari.

 

Some NGOs like the Braj Foundation have done good work reviving old water bodies, but the state government has not drawn up a River Front Development project, which is the crying need of Vrindavan. The heritage ghats have disappeared or are buried deep under the sand. "The locals have so many times demanded that the original ghats should be renovated and resurrected from the debris, but there has been no headway," says Shri Vatsa ji Maharaj. From Kosi to Mathura, both sides of the river Yamuna should be developed and greened to accommodate gaushalas, peacock sanctuary, and even the monkeys can be rehabilitated there, he adds.

 

Acharya Tringuneet Jaimini, the music maestro feels "time has come for the Doordarshan to start a Braj Bhasha TV channel, like they have in Bhojpuri or Rajasthani. This is the best way to promote the local culture and enrich a language that has millions of followers. "We have to protect the Haveli Sangeet, the Samaj gayan parampara, the Pakhawaj and folk arts like Sanjhi or even Tesu. Ras Lila, though it has many patrons and followers needs to evolve making use of modern theatrical advances. A good international class auditorium which can daily hold Ras Lila shows is an urgent need of the city," Jaimini said.

 

For record sake, it may be mentioned that Vrindavan attracts more pilgrims and visitors including foreigners, than the Taj Mahal in Agra. "Sri Krishna bhakts anywhere in the world yearn to visit Vrindavan once in their life time. Many come for the darshans, some come for the special chaat pakori and lassi. Milk based sweets are a speciality of the town. The town of love and bhakti surely deserves a better deal,"  Poddar adds.