LUCKNOW: Around 10 days after the announcement made by Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on the occasion of Janmashtami in Mathura, the state government has issued a notification declaring the 10 square kilometre range comprising 22 wards under the jurisdiction of the Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation a Pavitra Teertha Sthal (pious place of pilgrimage). The sale of alcohol and non-vegetarian food is now banned in the area.
On the day of Janmashtamai on August 30, CM Yogi had announced that his government will consider banning the sale of liquor and non-vegetarian food in and around the Krishna Janmabhoomi area in keeping with the popular demand of the saints and people of Mathura.
The CM went on to ask the Mathura district administration to work on banning meat and liquor in the vicinity of seven Hindu pilgrimage sites in the land of Lord Krishna. He also promised to relocate and rehabilitate those involved in the trade of liquor and meat businesses near these pilgrimage sites.
"In accordance with the announcement made by the Chief Minister on the day of Janmashtami, the notification for declaring the areas comprising 22 wards around Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi as a pilgrimage site has been issued. Consequently, liquor and meat trade in this notified area will be banned with immediate effect," said Mathura District Magistrate Navneet Chahal.
He added that the liquor and meat shops in these areas will be closed and shifted to other places soon.
In its notification, the Uttar Pradesh Religious Affairs Department said Mathura-Vrindavan was the birthplace of Lord Krishna and hence considered a holy place. It was visited by lakhs of pilgrims from India and abroad. The notification said Mathura-Vrindavan was "historically significant" and crucial from the point of view of tourism as well.
According to senior officials in the Religious Affairs department, an area of approximately 10 sq km in the Mathura-Vrindavan region has been declared a site of pilgrimage.
This area will now be reviewed by the Excise as well as the Food and Civil Supplies Departments, and licenses in this region will be revoked accordingly.
The 22 wards in this pilgrimage zone include Govind Nagar, Mandi Ramdas, Chaubiyapada, Dwarikapuri, Ghati Bahalrai, Navneet Nagar, Bankhandi, Bharatpur Gate, Arjunpura, Hanuman Tila, Jagannath Puri, Gaughat, Manoharpura, Bairajpura, Radhanagar, Badarinagar, Mahavidyacolony, Krishnanagar first and second, Koyala Gali, Dampiyar Nagar and Jai Singh Pura.