E-Paper
Cleanliness of ‘tiraths’ a challenge in Haryana
Even as ₹31
Even as ₹31.48 crore have been spent by the Haryana government on the development and upgrade of 81 ‘tiraths’ located in ‘48-kos parikrama’ of Kurukshetra since June 2014, upkeep and cleanliness at the ‘tiraths’ remains a challenge.
The Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB), in reply of an application filed by Panipat-based advocate Amit Rathee, revealed that ₹32.85 crore was released for development of 81 ‘tiraths’ in parts of Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Jind and Karnal districts.
As per the reply, ₹5.32 crore was allocated for development of 16 ‘tiraths’ in Karnal, ₹1.92 crore on development of Mukteshwari ‘tirath’ in Narwana of Jind, ₹1.08 crore on development of Hansraj ‘tirath’ in Jind, ₹1.05 crore each on renovation and beautification of Kukrityanshan ‘tirath’ in Kakot village of Kaithal and development of Rasmangal ‘tirath’ in Jakholi of Kaithal, and ₹1 crore on development of Khatwangeshwar ‘tirath’ in Narwana.
Also, ₹1.37 crore allocated to ‘tiraths’ were returned as these ‘tiraths’ come under the Archeological Survey of India.
During a visit to the recently developed ‘tiraths’, it was found that cleanliness and upkeep of these ‘tiraths’ remain a major issue. Even the work on many ‘tiraths’ has not been completed yet.
Around ₹64 lakh was spent on construction of five ponds, a ghat and a shed but the Panchdev ‘tirath’ in Karnal’s Padha village is in a poor state, Even the boundary wall is broken and a newly-constructed wall between two ponds has collapsed in the recent rains.
When the issue was taken up with Karnal deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, he said, “I will look into the matter and strict instructions will be issued for better upkeep of this ‘tirath’ by forming a village-level committee.”
The condition of Surajkund ‘tirath’ located in Jyotinagar of Kurukshetra is also not satisfactory despite the KDB claiming to have allocated over ₹1.30 crore on development of this ‘tirath’ since 2015. As it is located in the middle of a residential colony, residents of the area often complain of dirty water in the ponds and weed on the ground.
However, the KDB officials said the project could not be completed yet and the second phase is yet to be completed.
Waterlogging on the main entrance of the Jyotisar ‘tirath’, where lakhs of people from across country visit every year, is a major challenge and people face problems during rains despite ₹12 lakh being spent on contraction of pavement and repair work.
The Kotikut ‘tirath’ in Kaithal’s Keorak village on which ₹1.02 crore was spent by the KDB since 2018 requires efforts for cleanliness.
“The government did a good job by developing this ‘tirath’ in our village but the water could not be released in the pond yet and in lack of water it has become a grazing ground for stray cattle,” said Ranjit Singh, of the village.
Rasmangal ‘tirath’ in Jakholi village of Kaithal was found well maintained and construction of ghats, a conference hall and toilets is near completion with ₹1.05 crore.
However, two years after ₹67 lakh were allocated for development of Chakra ‘tirath’ in Serdha village of Kaithal, the construction of this ‘tirath’ is in its initial stage.
Similarly, the pond of Pundrik ‘tirath’ in Pundri town of Kaithal is also in a poor condition. “There is nobody to take care of it,” said Sonu Singh, a shopkeeper from near Pundrik ‘tirath’.
On why the money was spent on the ‘tiraths’ related to Hindu mythology as the KDB was set up for overall development of Kurukshetra, KDB honorary secretary Madan Mohan Chhabra said, “We are not sending money to promote any religion or place but to provide facilities to people visiting these places as they need shelter, food, toilets, parking, etc.”
He said the government is also going to develop a Sikh museum as all 10 Sikh gurus had visited Kurukshetra and a Buddha circuit will be developed by the Centre in Kurukshetra. The aim is to develop Kurukshetra as a cultural hub.
Talking to HT, KDB member secretary Atul Dwivedi said he will take up the issue of lack of cleanliness and poor upkeep of the ‘tiraths’ with the CEO of the KDB.
KDB chief executive officer (CEO) Anubhav Mehta said, “ There were some problems due to which the projects are not complete yet. Efforts will be made to ensure cleanliness of these ‘tiraths’.”
He added that since most ‘tiraths’ are located in rural areas, they come under the village panchayats and the tenure of village panchayats was over. But with participation of local-level committees better facilities and cleanliness will be ensured, he said.
