Source: sify.com
UTTARAKHAND, INDIA, January 14, 2010: The hill state of Uttarakhand is promoting the temple towns of Hardwar and Rishikesh as the biggest urban spiritual tourism destinations in the world on the strength of the Kumbh Mela. The government has sanctioned infrastructure and town planning projects worth US$120 million for the mela, which begins Jan 14.
“We are making it one of the biggest cultural showcases to tell the world that Hardwar is the seat of spiritual tourism in India. Our focus this year is to put permanent tourism infrastructure in place,” Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said at a press briefing at the sprawling tent township off Har-ki-Pauri erected to host the media.
“We have managed to put 80 percent of the infrastructure in place. Only 20 percent remains to be completed,” Pokhriyal said. The new infrastructure includes a modern car park, foot bridges and a network of arterial roads.
The temple town is wearing a new look with new hotels and freshly-laid out asphalt roads to accommodate the nearly 70 million pilgrims who are expected to flock to the city in the next three months till April 14, when the fair ends.
The government is upgrading roads, temples, power stations and transmission lines, street lighting, and also using money to help the river Ganga. As part of the Save-the-Ganga mission, which is the civic and religious cornerstone of the 2010 Kumbh Mela, the state government has will build 4.75 km of new bathing ghats – enclaves – and 33.97 km of new sewer lines.