In the interest of increasing tourist footfalls in the Braj region UP’s Yogi government will soon be taking a few new steps in this direction, which will enable tourists to stay at least 2-3 days in the region.
A senior administrative officer told India Today that a ‘Krishna Land’ theme park on the lines of ‘Disney Land’ has been proposed in Mathura and a detailed proposal will soon be submitted to the government. Similarly, a ‘Walktalator’ has been proposed between Agra Fort and Taj Mahal.
The tourists coming to Agra will be given the facility of a ‘hop on – hop off’ bus service on which the tourists will be able to visit all the monuments of Agra on just one bus ticket. Apart from Agra, Garhmukteshwar will also be developed as a tourist spot.
All these decisions were taken in a meeting held in Lucknow recently, where it was decided that the Braj region shall be given the shape of a ‘tourist hub’.
Another senior official told India Today that the Goverdhan Parikrama in Vrindavan will be developed as per the interest shown by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself, while the Sanjhi art-form of Braj will be preserved and developed with the help of the World Bank.
The Chief Minister himself is showing interest in the ‘Krishna Land’ project and has asked for a proposal as soon as possible. A ‘Ghat’ project is also being prepared in which the Yamuna’s water will be brought back to the ancient ghats of the river through channels. These ghats form a part of the ‘Chaurasi Kos Parikrama’ of the Braj.
The Agra Divisional Commissioner K Mohan Rao has proposed the installation of a ‘Walkalator’ between the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal for the tourists. The Commissioner said that the administration is making efforts to make the Agra visit of tourists a memorable event in their lives and efforts are also on that the city becomes clean and green, which will improve the international image of the city.
He said that parking facility at the monuments will be improved and bus service will be started on a ‘hop-on, hop off’ basis for the tourists from the parking spot. He said that the Yogi Adityanath government will leave a legacy of development in the entire Braj region.
Commenting on these proposed projects, Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber secretary Vishal Sharma said that it has been the dream of Agra tourism industry that Agra becomes an at least 2-day destination with night-time attractions to hold tourists overnight in the city. However, several proposals of this kind, including the development of a night-bazaar, the opening of a casino and a lot of other proposals have remained confined to files and none of them materialized in the past couple of decades. It remains to be seen which of these proposals actually sees the light of the day, considering the practical difficulties in the speedy implementation of these projects.