Varanasi: Demolition work gained momentum on Saturday for the Dalmandi road widening project, with authorities targeting newly acquired buildings and sites where structures were left partially standing in earlier drives. The project, costing over Rs 200 crore, aims to improve access to Kashi Vishwanath Dham from the Naisadak point on the Lahurabir-Godowlia road.
A joint team from the Public Works Department (PWD), district administration, and police arrived at Dalmandi with a list of 45 buildings slated for demolition, including 15 recently acquired structures. Seven bulldozers and earth-moving machines, along with a large contingent of labourers, were deployed in the street.
Officials stated that demolition of 60 buildings had already been completed, and recent efforts focused on clearing debris from the razed structures. PWD Executive Engineer KK Singh said that with the completion of the registry for the purchase of 15 more buildings, the list of buildings requiring major demolition has been finalized.
However, the congested lane is still hindering the machines from operating at an accelerated pace. By the end of Saturday's work, the team could only touch around 25 of the identified buildings. Officials indicated that the drive will be further intensified starting Sunday.
Regarding security arrangements, ACP (Dashaswamedh) Atul Anjan Tripathi said that apart from police and PAC personnel, central armed police forces have also been deployed in and around Dalmandi, while drones were utilized to monitor the area on Saturday. The police continuously used loudspeakers to announce and caution people gathering to watch the bulldozers demolish buildings and remove debris.
To improve access to Kashi Vishwanath Dham's Gate-4 from the Naisadak point on the Lahurabir-Godowlia road and to divert traffic from other routes, especially the Maidagin-Godowlia road, the Rs 224 crore project was launched. It aims to convert the 650-meter Dalmandi road into a 17.4-meter-wide road by purchasing or acquiring a total of 187 buildings and demolishing them.
According to PWD officials, the process of registry for the purchase of 54 buildings has been completed so far. Rs 39 crore has been distributed among 118 shareholders of these purchased buildings. Demolition of 62 buildings, including those declared dilapidated by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation and illegal constructions detected by the Varanasi Development Authority, had been done before the drive was re-intensified from Saturday.
