dharna
The demonstrators alleged that the district administration is arbitrarily enforcing the ban on the outside vehicles on the weekends. This plan is affecting the economy of Vrindavan, which is largely depended on the visitors and tourists. Most of the people come to Vrindavan on weekends, when their cars are not allowed to enter in the town; they go to the selected temples on the public vehicles and don’t visit the other temples and stop in the markets.
Some of the demonstrators were heard saying that the District administration should change the current traffic plan and enforce the one way traffic system. No traffic police are seen on the street on weekends. The traffic police should manage the traffic in a systematic way instead of stopping the visitors outside the town. They blamed that no facility is being provided in the car-parking.
On Thursday, the hoteliers of Vrindavan also came in support of the agitators. The Vrindavan hotels and guest house declared that no room will be booked on Friday between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They said people visiting from the National Capital Region gets holiday on the weekends. If they are not given the entry in Vrindavan, they will go and spend their weekends in Haridwar and other places of tourism interests. The plan is seriously affecting the business.
People came in support of the Traffic Plan
Amid the strong protests against the ‘no entry’ in Vrindavan on the weekends, the district administration finds a sigh of relief as the educationists, lawyers and the social workers have come in support of it. They appreciated the traffic plan, and threatened of begin the fast till death, if the district administration withdraws the plan. Senior advocate Shri Bhagwan Sharma said, “The no-entry on the weekends have improved the traffic system in Vrindavan, which became a menace for the local residents. The locals couldn’t move in the town easily. The large number of vehicles made our life terrible with its pollution and congesting the town. The visitors used to complain about the theft from their cars too.”
Jugal Kishor Saxena from the ‘Vrindavan Lawyers Association’ and Shri Avnish Yadav said, “The locals are very happy with the enforcement of the ‘no-entry’ for the outside vehicles on the weekends. Vrindavan is known for peace and bhakti. The entry of the large number of vehicles on a single creates disturbance in the peace of the town. This plan is essential to get rid of the pollution, traffic jam and dirt.
Shri Abhay Bashishtha, the president of the ‘Prayas’, Manoj Kumar Sharma and Rajkumar Sharma also welcomed the ‘weekend traffic plan’ being enforced by the District Administration of Mathura. They have demanded to execute the same plan on the week days also. Devendra Sharma, Ashish Goswami, Bharat Bhushan Garg, Virendra Gupta, Umang Gupta, Harish Mukutwala, Prem Shankar etc. also supported the plan of ‘the no entry on weekends’
Delegation meets the District Magistrate
A fraction of the Tirtha Purohits led by Shri Sanjay Ballabh Gautam met the District Magistrate, and explained him how the ‘weekend traffic plan’ of Vrindavan effecting their economy. The DM was ready to lift the ban for three hours between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The delegation didn’t agree with the DM’s offer and decided to continue their protest against the ban on the vehicles to enter Vrindavan on the weekends.
Tirtha Purohits divided on the ‘bandh’
Two days back on Wednesday, when the agitators called for a symbolic ‘bandh’ for two hours, the shops remained open, even after it being a week off day for the Vrindavan markets. Again they have appealed the traders to keep their shops closed on Friday and join them in the protest march to be organized at 1 p.m. from the Municipal Square. The other fraction of the ‘Tirtha Purohits’ were not in favor of the ‘bandh’, as they believed that they required the support from the traders, not their economical loss.
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