Punjab Minister Navjot Singh
Sidhu today said that a heritage street will be developed near the Durgiana temple here to give a major facelift to the religious place and facilitate the pilgrims.
He said that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has sent him here to oversee the ongoing beautification project and see into the planning of the heritage street near the temple.
The local bodies minister minister said already Rs 5 crore have been released for the heritage street and the place will have a world-class look once it is complete.
Sidhu said this heritage street project, which will come up on the pattern of one made around Golden temple, will start from the Haathi Gate and will have uniformity of structures around.
Also one side of the road will just be opened for pedestrians and vehicles would not be allowed to ply on it, he said.
This will decongest the area approaching the Durgiana mandir, he said.
The temple's main entrance will have a new facade and also walkways for the devotees, added the minister.
Sidhu said, "We aim to complete this ongoing beautification project by June."
Till now around Rs 25 crore have been earmarked and major portion of it released for the Durgiana temple project and this shows the commitment of the government for this religious place, he said.
"Pilgrims from all over visit this temple in large numbers and it is our duty to ensure that they don't face any problem. We will also ensure that nobody is uprooted during the heritage street project," he added.
The minister said the world famous Langoor Mela is held at this temple and once the beautification project is complete, it will be a great facility for pilgrims.
Sidhu, who held a detailed meeting with the members of the Durgiana Committee, promised that the state government was committed for the overall development of this temple and their was no dearth of money for it.
The minister took a dig at the previous SAD-BJP regime for allegedly failing to complete the project and also not releasing adequate funds.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)