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Uttar Pradesh Cabinet decides to set up two pilgrimage development boards
The two boards will work for the conservation of cultural heritage and the development of Chitrakoot and Vindhachal region of Mirzapur as pilgrimage centres of international importance
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Friday decided to set up two separate pilgrimage development boards — the Uttar Pradesh Shri Chitrakoot Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad and the Uttar Pradesh Vindhya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad — for conservation of the cultural heritage and development of Chitrakoot and the Vindhyachal region of Mirzapur as pilgrimage centres of international importance.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over a meeting of the state cabinet that approved the Uttar Pradesh Shri Chitrakoot Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad Bill 2021 and the Uttar Pradesh Vindhya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad Bill 2021 to be tabled in the state legislature to enact a law in this regard. It decided to authorise the chief minister to take any other appropriate decision about both the projects.
The state cabinet’s decision is being considered an apparent bid to give a push to the BJP government’s Hindutva agenda ahead of the 2022 UP assembly elections.
An official press release said the two boards would work out an action plan for the conservation of the cultural heritage, ecosystem, development, boost tourism and lead to creation of jobs there. The boards will also work out policies and oversee implementation of the action plan. The state government proposes to provide high-level tourism infrastructure, conserve cultural heritage and ecosystem in the Vindhya region as an important centre in the Puranas.
Four-lane road from Yamuna Expressway to Vrindavan
The state cabinet approved an estimated cost of ₹251 crore for construction of a four-lane road from Yamuna Expressway to Vrindavan and a two-lane bridge on the Yamuna river. It also approved another proposal for construction of a four-lane bypass in Saharanpur to connect NH-709-B and Delhi-Yamunotri road (NH 57) up to Devla there. It also approved an estimated cost of ₹200.22 crore for the project that is considered important for easing the traffic congestion in Saharanpur and the pilgrims going to the Shakambhari Devi temple there (in Saharanpur).
Advanced ophthalmic centre at SGPGIMS
The state cabinet approved a proposal for using high specifications in construction of advanced ophthalmic centre and service block at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. The centre will have super specialty in corneal transplant. The project involves a cost of ₹61.39 crore.
New campus of RMLIMS
A proposal for construction of the first phase of the new campus of the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medicla Sciences (RMLIMS) in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar Extension scheme was also approved. The project has an estimated cost of ₹204.50 crore. MD, MS, DM and MCH courses are being run at the institute in addition to the MBBS course. Construction of both men’s and women’s hostels for students, nurses’ hostels, faculty residence, basement parking and electricity connection works will be carried out in the first phase of the new campus.
Free saplings
The state cabinet approved a proposal to provide saplings of the forest and wildlife department (barring saplings of eucalyptus and poplar) free of cost to different departments, court complexes, farmers, persons, local bodies and educational institutions for the state to achieve its target of planting 30 crore saplings in 2021-2022. The Covid-19 protocol will be followed during the plantation drive.
Modernisation of tubewells
A proposal for the modernisation of 6600 government tubewells set up in different districts and replacement of equipment has been approved with an estimated project cost of ₹285.79 crore. The project, scheduled to start in 2021-2022, is expected to be completed in 2022-2023 and recreate the capacity for irrigation of 76082 hectare land benefitting 70,000 farmers.
Transfer of land
A proposal to transfer nazul (government) land in front of Aishbagh Eidgah to the state culture department for setting up of the Dr Ambedkar Culture Centre in Lucknow was also approved. It will have an auditorium with the capacity to seat 750 persons, library and a research centre. A statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar will be installed, and a dormitory and cafeteria will come up there. It was decided that no building of religious or historical importance should be there on the nazul land to be transferred. The initial cost of the project is estimated to be about ₹45.04 crore.
Stamp duty, registration fee exemption for Noida airport land lease
The state cabinet on Friday decided to grant exemption from stamp duty and registration fee to be levied on giving 1334-hectare land of the civil aviation department on lease to the joint venture company Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL) for the development of Noida International Airport. It authorised the chief minister to take any other appropriate decision on the issue.
[PTI adds: “For development of the Noida International Airport, the state cabinet has approved a proposal to waive the stamp duty and registration fees on the 1,334 hectare land acquired in the name of the civil aviation department,” an official statement said.
It stated that 1,334 hectare land has been acquired for the first phase of the Noida International Airport in Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar in the name of the civil aviation department, UP government. This land has to be leased out to NIAL.
Noida airport’s nodal officer Shailendra Bhatia said that when leasing a land, the lessee is required to pay 1 per cent of the total circle rate of the land in registration fees and 7 per cent in stamp duty.
“It was important to lease the land for NIAL in order to go ahead with development work on the project. NIAL has selected a concessionaire for a 40-year-period for carrying out the work, which could proceed only if NIAL has the land on lease,” he said.
NIAL, which has the UP government also as one of its four members, had selected Zurich International Airport AG as the concessionaire for development of the project.
The Swiss-headquartered firm has floated a special purpose vehicle Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) in India for the job, according to officials.]
