CM sets 3-month deadline for dev works in Varanasi

Setting a three-month deadline to complete ongoing development works in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday issued a slew of directions to authorities to spruce up Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency.

In his first meeting to review the ongoing projects in Varanasi, the Chief Minister instructed that work should be taken up on a war footing so that they are visible on the ground in three months' time. Aditynath said he will himself visit the temple town in May for an inspection, officials said.

The chief minister asked the officials to take necessary steps for giving a facelift to the area around the renowned Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Cautioning officials against any laxity, Adityanath said the progress of the projects in the city does not match the allocation of the funds by the central government, they said.

He suggested setting up a cow shelter in Varanasi on the lines of Kanha Upvan in Lucknow. The shelter home for cows and stray animals is run by an NGO supported by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav.

Reviewing the projects in power, urban development, tourism, PWD, housing and urban planning, irrigation, Varanasi Development Authority and NHAI, the Chief Minister instructed senior officials to work out the problems that are delaying their completion.

He said work on bridges must be completed in a fixed time frame and Railways department's help must be sought in case of pending overbridges.

He said Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna will inspect the works soon.

During the recent Assembly election campaign, Modi's rivals had alleged that he had failed to deliver on his 2014 poll promise of developing Varanasi on the pattern of Japanese city of Kyoto. The BJP had alleged that the then Samjwadi Party government was hindering development of the district.

To address the problem of traffic snarls, Aditynath on Tuesday gave his nod for a multi-level parking and four laning of roads. He expressed his unhappiness over digging of roads for various works and then leaving them unattended.

He sought a detailed project reports for two-lane road on Panchkosi Marg and viability of multi-storey building for people residing around railway tracks, the officials said.