Rs 49.5 cr for Gurdwara Nada Sahib, Mansa Devi

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 14

The Ministry of Tourism has approved Rs49.51 crore for the development of Gurdwara Nada Sahib, Panchkula, and the Mansa Devi temple under the “Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive” (PRASAD) scheme of the Centre.

The work is in progress at both these places. Today, G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, convened a meeting with the Secretary, Tourism, Punjab, Haryana and the UT, along with the principals of central IHMs in Chandigarh, Kufri and Gurdaspur, at the Haryana Raj Bhawan to review the status of various projects under PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan schemes of the Tourism Ministry to revive the tourism sector after a two-year lull caused by the pandemic.

The inflow of financial resources at the two religious places spells infrastructural development, which will be executed by the Haryana Tourism Corporation. In January last year, the Haryana Director General (Tourism) had submitted a proposal to the Centre for developing Gurdwara Nada Sahib and the Mansa Devi temple at a cost of Rs4,951.70 lakh. The estimated cost of renovating Gurdwara Nada Sahib was pegged at Rs2,501.68 lakh and the Mansa Devi temple at Rs2,214.22 lakh.

The sanctioned amount will be invested to rev up facilities for devotees visiting the shrines. At Nada Sahib, the amount will be invested in surface parking, façade illumination, a toilet block, rainwater harvesting, boundary wall, sewage treatment plant, multi-level car parking, RCC bridge, retaining wall and integrated area development, which includes pathways, structural and tensile roofing, provision for benches, dustbins, signages, solar photo voltaic power generation system and drinking water coolers.

At the Mansa Devi temple, the money has been sanctioned for the construction of a first aid facility, eight gazebos, plaza development and flooring (souvenir shop), façade illumination and parking area development, including Suvidha Kendra and multi-level and surface parking. The temple may soon develop a cultural activity area (open air), rainwater harvesting and a sewage treatment plant. The ministry has also sanctioned money for drinking water coolers, dustbins, signages, benches, solar photo voltaic power generation system and dustbins to be provided to devotees visiting the temple.