6 mosques to be demolished in Varanasi’s Dalmandi area: Read details of the road widening project and how 100s of shops are set to be relocated
Under the recently approved road widening project in the Dalmandi market area of Varanasi, hundreds of shops and six mosques are set to be demolished by the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD). The Uttar Pradesh government recently gave a go-ahead for the Dalmandi road widening project, which will enlarge the route leading to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Hundreds of shops and 6 mosques will be demolished as part of the project
According to the local administration, the road passing through the Dalmandi market was not so narrow earlier. The width of the road has been reduced due to encroachment. The PWD will now demolish hundreds of shops on either side of the road to widen it. Six mosques, namely Mirza Qareemullah Beg Mosque, Sangemarmar Mosque, Ali Raza Khan Mosque, Nisaran Mosque, Rangeele Shah Mosque and Langde Hafiz Mosque, will also be demolished as part of the project. As per reports, a total of 146 buildings have been identified for demolition after a survey conducted by PWD, apart from the 6 mosques.
The Dalmandi market is one of Varanasi’s oldest and busiest markets, accommodating thousands of shops. Located about 100 metres away from the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the market area faces the problem of overcrowding and frequent traffic jams because of the narrow size of the road passing through it. The total length of Dalmandi from Nai Sadak to Chowk Thana is 650 meters. It is 9 metres wide in some places, while in other places it narrows down to 3 metres. Under the road widening project, the road will be enlarged up to 17.50 metres. The entire project has a budget of around ₹222 crore.
Dal Mandi is called the supermarket of Varanasi, as there are a large number of shops selling various merchandise. There are lines of selling clothes, jewellery, food, puja items, mobile phones, electronic items etc. People from the entire Purvanchal area visit the place for business. It remains so crowded that it becomes difficult to even walk during the day. After the road is widened, business in the area will improve due to improved facilities.
People affected by the project will receive compensation
The project was approved considering the increase in the number of devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple every year. The area becomes overcrowded because of a large number of devotees visiting the temple, causing inconvenience to locals as well as devotees. The project gained momentum after it was approved by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a recent review meeting with public representatives and officials. The first installment of the project was released last month. The PWD has measured the road and collected the data to provide compensation to people whose properties will be demolished. The compensation will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of eligible people.
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