Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started work of widening shahi marg (from where sadhus will go to banks of Godavari for shahi snan (royal bath or holy dip)).
The width of the existing Shahi Marg (road), which stretches from Tapovan to Godavari via Nag Chowk, Kalaram Temple and Sardar Chowk, varies from 4.5 metres to 6 metres at different locations. In year 2015 more devotees will visit kumbh mela hence city administration is planing to widened road from 9 metres to 15 metres depending on the area.
The proposal of land acquisition presented at the standing committee for the widening project, include the 12-metre road from Panchamukhi Hanuman mandir to Shrikrishna ice factory, 9-metre road from Sardar Chowk to Kalaram Mandir East door, 15-metre road from Kalaram Mandir to Nag chowk to Katya Martuti Chowk and 12-metre road from Ramkund to Malviya Chowk to Katya Maruti – marked in the development plan of the standing committee.
Speaking to TOI, a senior official of the civic body said, “We will send the proposal to the district collector after we get a copy of the resolution on the acquisition of land from the standing committee of the municipal corporation. The district collector will then start the process. The land acquisition and widening of Shahi Marg is expected to take place before the Kumbh mela begins.”
In last kumbh mela in Nashik in year 2003, 29 pilgrims were killed at Sardar chowk on the Shahi Marg in a stampede.
Before the 2003 Kumbh, a new Shahi Marg was created, but which runs parallel to Godavari river from Tapovan to Ramkund.the sadhus refused to take the new route on the grounds that it passed near a cemetery.which is inauspicious. The NMC had apparently not consulted the sadhus before creating the new Shahi Marg.
More Updates coming soon…