Entry tax imposed on Ghat for the first time in Varanasi: Rs 10 will have to be paid for sitting and roaming for 4 hours at Namo Ghat; SP-Congress protested

Posted on 3rd Aug 2022 by rohit kumar

If you are a fan of walking and sitting on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, then get ready to lose your pockets. Smart City Company has implemented an entry token system at Namo Ghat (Window Ghat) from Tuesday. No entry will be available here only after paying 10 rupees. That too only for 4 hours. For the first time, any fee has been imposed at any ghat in Kashi. There are 84 old ghats here. No one is charged.

 

This decision of Smart City Company is in dispute. Congress and SP have opposed it. The SP has termed it arbitrary. Social media users are also asking what kind of tradition has been started in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of PM Narendra Modi on the Amrit festival of independence...?

 

Namo Ghat is the new center of tourism

There are 84 Ghats in Varanasi. Apart from this, Phase-1 of Namo Ghat (Khirkiya Ghat) has been prepared near the Malviya bridge of Rajghat for 35.83 crores. Now it has become a new center of tourism in Kashi. PM Narendra Modi had come to Varanasi on July 7 last. He had to hand over Namo Ghat to the public.

 

However, it was dropped from the list of releases at the last minute. The PMO was told that the Ghat would be inaugurated only when all the development works are completed. PM will not inaugurate half-finished work.

 

Things related to the Ghats of Kashi-

 

In Varanasi, on a normal day, about 30,000 people visit the ghats of the Ganges. This number reaches one lakh in the month of the festival and Sawan.

 

The original name of Namo Ghat is Khirkiya Ghat. Work started in December 2020 on about 11.5 acres. Phase-1 work has been completed.

 

Every day 4 to 5 thousand people reach Namo Ghat.

 

There is also a provision for the parking of vehicles on the pier itself. From here you will get the ticket to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Water sports, library, morning walk, and exercise facilities will be there.

 

From here one can go to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham while boating.

 

A multipurpose platform is being built on 1.6 acres, on which two

Helicopters can land. Combo tickets and railway tickets for other tourist places will also be arranged here.

 

To make Ganga pollution free, a CNG filling station has also been built here for CNG-powered boats.

 

Officials say, will maintain the ghat with this fee

 

An official statement has not yet been issued by Smart City on this issue. However, smart city officials say that the crowd was overcrowding Khirkiya Ghat. Therefore, it has been decided to put a ticket of Rs 10. Rs 10 is not much and it will help in the maintenance of the ghat.

 

Two years ago, the decision to tax on worship had to be taken back

 

Two years ago in July, there was talk of imposing a fee on the priests of the Ganga Ghats, cultural events, and aarti. There was strong opposition to this decision of the Municipal Corporation. As a result, the judgment stayed within 24 hours. Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari, BJP MLA of City Dakshin and the then Minister of State, had said then that no fee would be charged for religious and cultural events at the Ganga Ghats.

 

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