Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Juna Akhada chief patron and Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad general secretary Mahant Hari Giri has suggested that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav name the entire 30 km stretch of river Kshipra in Ujjain city as ‘Ram Ghat’.
“Crores of people are expected to arrive in Ujjain for the Simhastha Mahakumbh-2028 and to ensure that every visitor gets ‘Amrit Snan’, the government should name the entire stretch, from Triveni to Siddhvat Ghat, as Ram Ghat,” he added on Friday evening.
Interacting with the Free Press at Datar Ashram near Narsingh Ghat, on the sidelines of an 11-day special yagya for the success of Simhastha, Mahant Hari Giri said at the time of the Prayagraj Mahakumbh, he had given a letter to the CM for constructing permanent ghats on either side of the river Kshipra on its 30 km stretch.
“It’s a matter of satisfaction that the CM decided to implement our suggestion, and new ghats are being constructed on the stretch. The CM has also assured that the people coming for Simhastha snan will get the waters of the Kshipra only,” he said.
He also emphasised that since 8-15 metres of silt is deposited in the Kshipra presently, it should be deepened with the help of machines so that the blocked sources of water can be recharged. Besides, the drains of Ujjain city and the industrial and domestic waste of Indore district mixing in Kshipra through the Kanh river should be stopped immediately.
Mahant Hari Giri added that Ujjain has several ancient water bodies, which are called ‘Sapt Sagar’. The government should ensure that all these water bodies, including Neelganga Sarovar, are deepened so that their sources can be recharged.
He said that the Simhastha Mahakumbh-2028 will be exceptional. He hinted that the CM is likely to visit Neelganga Sarovar on June 5 on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, where he would speak to him on various issues of the Simhastha preparations.
PM to perform bhoomi pujan virtually today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate development works worth ₹864 crore for the Simhastha-2028 from Bhopal on May 31. He will perform bhoomi pujan for the construction of new ghats on the Kshipra river for ₹779 crore and 21 barrages on the Kshipra river at a cost of about ₹85 crore.
Work is being done on the Kanh Close Duct, Sevarkhedi-Silarkhedi project by the water resources department to provide adequate clean water for rituals. Ghats will be constructed on both sides of Kshipra in Ujjain district, from Shani temple to Nagda, at a cost of ₹778.91 crore. This work will be completed by December 2027.
Along with this, nine barrages will be constructed on Kshipra (one in Ujjain district, one in Indore district and seven barrages in Dewas district) and the repair work of Kaliadeh stop dam by Ujjain Municipal Corporation and 11 barrages (five in
Ujjain district and six in Indore district) will be constructed on the Kanh river. The total cost of barrage construction is ₹84.78 crore. About 2,019 hectares of area will be irrigated by the said barrages.
