- Devotees suffer as Vrindavan administration halts tempos and e-rickshaws, forces walking in scorching heat.
2023.04.19 (Vrindavan Today News): Thousands of devotees faced a tough time on Sunday in Vrindavan due to the administration’s decision to halt tempos, e-rickshaws, and buses at various locations on Vrindavan Mathura and Chhatikara Road. This decision left the devotees helpless and forced them to walk as long as two kilometers in the scorching heat. Furthermore, the tempo and e-rickshaw drivers took advantage of the situation and charged arbitrary fares, with a 100-rupee ride from Vrindavan to Mathura railway station being booked at an exorbitant rate.
The administration did not allow any e-rickshaws or tempos from the multi-level parking on Chhatikara Road to enter inside, forcing people to walk all day on Sunday from the multi-level to the ISKCON temple. The Pagal Baba temple on Mathura Road also saw a halt in the movement of tempos, electric buses, and e-rickshaws beyond its premises.
On one hand, the no-entry rule on Sunday in Vrindavan restricted the operation of tempo-rickshaws and other vehicles within the area, and on the other hand, it was observed that vehicles from outside the district kept entering Vrindavan through the Vidyapeeth Chauraha, despite the restriction.
The Banke Bihari temple area in Vrindavan has become a site of “unsuccessful experiments” by the authorities, causing inconvenience to devotees and locals alike. Despite a reduction in the crowd on Sunday, the administration remained confused and devotees were left upset after a scuffle broke out due to the barricading. The area had been barricaded on both Saturday and Sunday, but disorder still persisted.
A loose cow entered the area, causing further disruption to the arrangements that were anyway causing inconvenience to both devotees and locals. Even with no crowd pressure, people were troubled throughout the day.
A delegation of Banke Bihari Mandir Bazar met District Magistrate Pulkit Khare, SSP Shailesh Pandey, and Municipal Commissioner Kranti Shekhar Singh at the District Magistrate’s office to demand the removal of railings installed on the road from Vidyapeeth Chauraha to Banke Bihari Police Chowki.
The delegation also warned of an agitation if the railing is not removed, stating that it has become impossible for children’s school vans, emergency vehicles like ambulances, and fire brigade vehicles to reach in case of an emergency.
