The chief minister said that Mathura, Vrinadavan and Govardhan attracted tourists from across the world. He said that Rs. 30 crore would go into the beautification of the ghats and the revival of ponds. Roads damaged in rain would be repaired at a cost of Rs. 8 crore.
The chief minister said that Rs. 4 crore would be spent to upgrade and widen the Barsana-Kosikalan Road; the "kuccha" (untarred) Govardhan " parikrama path" the way that pilgrims walk, would be improved at a cost of Rs. one crore.
The chief minister was speaking after the inauguration of a modern community kitchen set up by the non-governmental organisation, Akshay Patra Foundation, in Mathura to provide food to students in government schools under the midday meal scheme.
The modern kitchen is equipped to prepare food for 1.65 lakh students in 1,633 schools across Mathura district each day. The kitchen is equipped to roll out 40,000 "rotis" (unleavened bread) in one hour; vegetables can be cleaned, cut and cooked automatically. Seven vehicles would be used to ferry the cooked meals to schools in the district.
Earlier in the day, a group of citizens under the banner "Friends of Vrindavan" had submitted a memorandum to the chief minister seeking the heritage tag for this pilgrim town, and the development of a green belt on the banks of the Yamuna. The citizens were also keen that Vrindavan not be merged with the Mathura Municipal Corporation
