Develop Deekshabhoomi on lines of Shirdi: Plea

Nagpur: With a view to develop Deekshabhoomi on the lines of popular pilgrimage centres like Shirdi, Shegaon, Pandharpur, Trimbakeshwar and others, a lawyer has approached the high court praying for directives to the union and state governments to draft a master plan in this regard.
A division bench comprising justices Ravi Deshpande and Vinay Joshi on Wednesday issued notices to the respondents, including Union social justice and empowerment ministry and several state departments, asking them to reply before next hearing scheduled on February 20. State urban development and social justice departments, directorate of municipal administration, NMC and its town planning officer, NIT, divisional railway manager of Central Railway, MSRDC and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti are other respondents.

Petitioner Shailesh Narnaware pointed out that the government developed places like Koradi and Paradsinga, which have now become major tourist attractions and considered as holy places for religious practices.

The petitioner prayed for a master plan to provide basic amenities like drinking water, bathrooms, rest house, and to develop proper facilities like skywalks at nearby railway stations and bus stops.

According to him, the people visiting Deekshabhoomi on Buddhist religious festivals and functions every year are facing problems of improper administration and management. As they throng the historic venue in large numbers, a stampede-like situation may occur and therefore proper planning is needed.

He contended that like these pilgrimage places, Deekshabhoomi not only has religious importance but also has social, cultural, and educational importance. The future generations must be educated about the teachings of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar, who is a source of inspiration, and therefore, the place must be developed properly, he said.