Himachal: State-of-art facilities to come up for pilgrims in Chintpurni

As of now, ₹40.07 crore has been approved for undertaking beautification and developing infrastructure in Himachal’s Chintpurni along with creating facilities for the pilgrims

The Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme launched by the ministry of tourism, Government of India, will prove to be a milestone in shaping planned development in Chinnmastika Dham, Mata Shree Chintpurni temple of Himachal Pradesh.

Every year, around 16 lakh pilgrims from various parts of the country, especially from neighbouring Punjab, pay obeisance at Chintpurni Devi temple in Himachal. Efforts will be made to develop basic facilities for pilgrims. (HT File Photo)

As of now, ₹40.07 crore has been approved for undertaking beautification and developing infrastructure in Chintpurni along with creating facilities for the devotees which include a pilgrimage facility centre, walking tracks, water ATMs, shelters, e-toilets, etc. Besides, the beautification of the temple will also be taken on a large scale. There is also a provision of solar lights, improvement of the road leading towards the temple, installation of CCTV, waste management structures, digital display system, LED screens in waiting rooms and electric vehicles for the devotees to and fro from nearby parking areas.

This will not only help boost religious tourism but also increase the footfall and will also help in generating indirect employment opportunities, besides cleanliness, security, accessibility and service delivery. PRASAD scheme offers a tremendous opportunity to undertake infrastructure developments at the important pilgrimage and heritage destinations in an inclusive, integrated and sustainable manner that focuses on livelihoods, skills, cleanliness, security, accessibility and service delivery.

Out of the total land requirement of 1,700 sqm, around 60 per cent of the area has been acquired for creating basic infrastructural facilities as per the official records. After the completion of the project, the overcrowding problems will be solved with effective planned crowd management and state-of-art facilities.

Every year, around 16 lakh pilgrims from various parts of the country, especially from neighbouring Punjab, pay obeisance at Chintpurni Devi temple, one of the 51 shaktipeeths. Efforts will be made to develop basic amenities for pilgrims like the introduction of a non-polluting public traffic system, an alternate path, disabled-friendly infrastructure and a new block for darshan and kirtan, said the deputy commissioner, Una.

To overcome the problem of traffic congestion, a tourist reception centre-cum-parking area was developed under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted project of ₹52 crore last year at Chintpurni by the tourism department.