Latest news with #AKSharma
The Print
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Goswami community women protest against Banke Bihari corridor during UP minister's temple visit
Wearing black dupattas, the women voiced their opposition to the Banke Bihari corridor, which they claim will harm the temple's spiritual and cultural heritage. Mathura (UP), Jul 19 (PTI) Women of the Goswami community staged a protest in front of Uttar Pradesh Power and Urban Development Minister A K Sharma at the Banke Bihari Temple here on Saturday, raising slogans against the proposed corridor project, officials said. Tensions escalated when a police officer allegedly snatched protest signboards and pushed some priests, angering the women, who then prevented the temple's traditional welcome for the minister, they said. Sharma later called four women protesters for a discussion and assured them that their concerns would be conveyed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The minister said he felt 'blessed to have darshan at the Sri Bankey Bihari temple.' Regarding the contentious corridor, he emphasised, 'Corridor or any development project is taken considering the needs of citizens, and the party is very sensitive in this matter.' He stressed that 'the interests of all stakeholders will be preserved.' The Banke Bihari Temple corridor project, aimed at easing crowd congestion and improving the pilgrimage experience, has drawn opposition from sections of the Goswami community and locals who fear it may lead to the demolition of historic lanes and ancient structures, altering Vrindavan's essence. PTI COR CDN OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
New Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Sewayats deny UP minister darshan at Banke Bihari temple amid protest over corridor project
LUCKNOW: UP Power Minister and close confidante of PM Narendra Modi, AK Sharma, faced a massive protest from the Sewayats of the Banke Bihari temple against the proposed corridor in Mathura-Vrindavan on Saturday. The protesting Sewayats, Goswamis, did not let the minister take darshan of the deity and pulled the curtain down on the idol as soon as Sharma reached in front of it inside the temple. As per local sources, when the minister arrived at the temple, the Sewayats, who are opposing the Rs 600-crore Banke Bihari Corridor proposed by the state government and approved by the Supreme Court, were prepared to protest his visit. The minister was not even given prasad. The Goswami community members are hereditary priests who have been engaged in prayers and priestly duties at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan for centuries. 'With the arrival of the minister, around 15–20 women, belonging to the family of Goswamis, thronged the temple premises wearing black bands. They surrounded the minister and started shouting 'Hai hai' and 'Mantriji go back',' said a local source. In the wake of the rising build-up, the officials present on the spot escorted the minister out of the temple from Gate Number 4. The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for the Banke Bihari Corridor, an ambitious plan to ease crowd congestion and enhance the pilgrimage experience around the shrine. The state government has brought an ordinance to create a Trust to run the temple and oversee work on the proposed corridor. Significantly, the Supreme Court has allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to use temple funds for land acquisition to build the corridor - a project envisaged to ease crowd pressure around the temple.
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
UP cities shine in Swachh Survekshan rankings; Lucknow ranks third cleanest city
Uttar Pradesh has achieved historic success in the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, securing top rankings and prestigious awards across multiple awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu during a grand ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Thursday. State Urban Development Minister A K Sharma received the honours on behalf of the made history by becoming the first city in Uttar Pradesh to earn a 7-star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating. It secured the third position in the Clean City Award category for cities with a population of over 10 lakh. For this remarkable achievement, Lucknow was honoured with the Presidential Prayagraj was declared the Cleanest Ganga City, recognised for its dedicated efforts in maintaining cleanliness around the river, especially during large events like the Mahakumbh. Agra, Gorakhpur, and the Mahakumbh 2025 initiative also received the Award of Excellence, reflecting the state's strong focus on urban received double honours, securing third place in the Safai Mitra Surakshit Sheher category and fourth among cities with a population between 3 to 10 lakh. The city also received a 5-star GFC rating, showing its progress in waste management and safety for sanitation six cities in Uttar Pradesh now among the top 20 cleanest large cities in India, all with above 5-star ratings, the state has emerged as a national leader in urban cleanliness was named the Emerging Clean City of Uttar Pradesh, ranking 32nd nationally. The city has achieved a 5-star GFC rating, marking a major step in its journey toward sustainable urban earned the 10th spot among cities with populations between 3 to 10 lakh. In the medium city category, Bijnor and Shamshabad secured 29th and 95th places, respectively. These results highlight the state's effective sanitation strategy across different city Pradesh also won the Swachh Mahakumbh 2025 Award for its innovative sanitation plans for the upcoming Mahakumbh, combining cultural values with modern cleanliness A K Sharma said that this success reflects the Yogi government's strong commitment to creating clean and livable cities. He praised the contributions of citizens, municipal bodies, and local leaders, while highlighting achievements like Lucknow's 7-star rating and Prayagraj's Ganga mission director Anuj Jha noted key improvements, including verified door-to-door waste collection rising from 48% to 62%, and waste processing increasing to over 85%. He said the state's performance now exceeds national standards in almost all Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department credited the success to strict monitoring, training, and local efforts. With strong momentum, Uttar Pradesh is aiming to become the cleanest state in the country.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Uttar Pradesh
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
City Cleans Its Act, Breaks Into Top League
1 2 Lucknow: Lucknow has secured the third position in the country in the 'Swachh Shehar' million-plus category of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, a cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The city's improved performance is attributed to enhanced door-to-door waste collection, segregation, public engagement and awareness campaigns. This category, introduced for the first time, covers 40 cities with a population of over 10 lakh. The 23 cities which topped in various population categories in the past three years made it to 'Super Swachh League' and they will compete next year. Indore again topped the Super Swachh League in the million-plus population category, followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai. The results were announced on Thursday, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting the award to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) at a ceremony held in New Delhi. Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 marked the ninth edition of the national cleanliness survey and introduced several reforms aimed at inclusivity. The President stated that Swachh Survekshan has promoted innovation, healthy competition, and highlighted cleanliness as a cultural value, with over 14 crore citizens participating — making it the world's largest cleanliness survey. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo She presented the award to Uttar Pradesh urban development minister A K Sharma, mayor Sushma Kharakwal and former municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh. LMC officials stated that Lucknow's ranking reflects improvements in multiple cleanliness parameters. The city scored a total of 12,001 out of 12,500, which includes 9,501 out of 10,000 in the Swachh Survekshan 2024 score, 1,300 out of 1,300 in the garbage free cities (GFC) certification, and 1,200 out of 1,200 in the open defecation free (ODF) certification. Lucknow received a 7-star rating in Swachh Survekshan 2024-2025 — the highest possible rating. These achievements include 100% door-to-door waste collection, 97% waste segregation at source, 100% scientific processing of daily waste, complete remediation of dumpsites like Ghailla and Shivri, and cleanliness in both residential and market areas. The city also scored high in the maintenance of water bodies and public toilets. The key initiatives were the treatment of fresh waste and legacy waste at the Shivri plant, with support from composting units and tracked electric vehicles. Awareness drives gained 4 crore digital views. A C&D waste plant, saplings plantation, and revamped garbage sites improved public spaces. Present at the ceremony were several LMC officials, including municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao and GM Jal Kal Kuldeep Singh.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Min: Identify plantation sites in urban areas
Lucknow: Minister of urban development and energy AK Sharma has directed officials to identify locations in all 762 urban bodies of the state for the upcoming plantation drive on July 9. The urban development department has got a target to plant 35 lakh saplings. "Plantations should be done in Kanha Gaushala complexes, cleaned garbage sites, vacant roadside areas, public buildings, religious, mythological, and historical sites, and at urban intersections and gateways to beautify these areas and increase green cover. Fruit-bearing and flowering plants should be planted to create Miyawaki forests, gardens, Nakshatra gardens and Panchvati in cities," he said. The minister on Friday reviewed preparations for Plantation 2025 through video conferencing with the minister of state for environment, forest and climate change (independent charge), Arun Kumar Saxena and gave necessary instructions. He said to make the state's urban bodies world-class, cities need to be greener to improve air quality, health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "Under the National Clean Air Programme, the target is to reduce PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels by 40% by 2026, taking 2019 as the base year. The increasing urbanisation in the state presents challenges in providing better facilities to citizens, but with better strategies and timely implementation of plans, these challenges can be addressed," he said. Sharma asked officials to pay special attention to the maintenance of plants. He asked for a sapling to be planted in the name of "mother" and for plants to be given as offerings in temples to encourage people to care for these plants throughout their lives. He also instructed electricity department officials to plant trees in vacant spaces within electrical complexes to increase greenery. The state govt aims to plant 37 crore saplings on July 9. The forest department is providing plants in accordance with the targets assigned to the respective departments, which will be responsible for the maintenance of the planted saplings. "The greener the state, the more conducive the environment will be for life, leading to better health for the residents and a clean environment for future generations, helping achieve the state's one trillion-dollar economy goal with ease," said Sharma.
