Varanasi: Only six of the 187 buildings demarcated for the Rs 224-crore Dalmandi road widening project remain to be demolished. As the demolition of purchased buildings, as well as those declared illegal by the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) and dilapidated by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC), continued at an accelerated pace on Sunday, an FIR was lodged against six named and 15 unidentified persons for allegedly obstructing govt work during Saturday evening’s demolition drive.The completion of the ambitious project will widen the 650-metre Dalmandi road to 17.4 metres, improving access to Gate No. 4 of Kashi Vishwanath Dham from the Naisadak point on the Lahurabir-Godowlia road. The project is expected to ease traffic congestion by shifting commuter load from other routes, particularly the Maidagin-Godowlia road leading to the shrine area.Amid the continuing demolition drive, PWD executive engineer said that nearly 181 buildings had already been demolished, either fully or partially.
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The PWD is now clearing debris to begin earthwork for the proposed 17-metre-wide road, which will improve access to Kashi Vishwanath Dham from the Naisadak point on the Lahurabir-Girjaghar road.Officials said the one-month period sought by the Langda Hafiz mosque authorities to complete internal works before the demolition of the demarcated portion would end in less than a week. They added that the owners of three buildings acquired through registration had sought three days to vacate the premises. Officials expect all demolition-related work to be completed by the end of the first week of August, after which earthwork and civil construction for the proposed road will begin.Monitoring the security arrangements, ACP (Dashashwamedh) Atul Anjan Tripathi said that following the minor disturbance on Saturday evening, the demolition work proceeded peacefully on Sunday.Earlier, an uproar broke out on Saturday afternoon during the demolition of house number D-50/221 in Dalmandi when a VDA team arrived to demolish a building declared illegal by the authority. After completing the measurement process, the team began the demolition using a PWD earthmover. At that point, 15-20 people, including Rashid, Shahid, Hasan, Rasheed and Anjum, who were residing in the house, started protesting, Tripathi said. He added that they allegedly abused officials and employees, assaulted them and obstructed government work. Police personnel present at the spot brought the situation under control and took six persons into custody.Later, VDA Class-IV employee Gyanchand lodged a complaint at Chowk police station, stating that in the presence of ADM (City) Rajesh Kumar and zonal officer Prakash Kumar, the occupants became aggressive when asked to vacate the house. Some employees were injured in the alleged assault. Based on the complaint, Chowk police registered a case against six named and 15 unidentified persons. The arrested accused were to be produced before a court on Sunday and sent to jail. By around 6 pm, the house had been completely demolished.Among the 181 structures demolished, either fully or partially, for the Rs 224-crore project were Nesaran Ki Masjid, Rangile Shah Masjid, Ali Raza Masjid, Sangmarmar Masjid, Masjid Mirza Karimullah Beg, a musafirkhana, a madrassa and a hospital building.
