State to implement sustainable development under Rs.100 crore Central scheme

Mysuru: The Centre has chosen the iconic Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill under its holistic Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) to develop without spoiling its surrounding ecosystem.

The State Government had sent a proposal to the Centre to develop Chamundi Hill and the Centre has accorded in principle approval to the project, said Tourism Minister S.R. Mahesh.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Mahesh said that Chamundeshwari Temple is the only temple in Karnataka that has been selected for the PRASAD project.

“Very soon, the Chamundi Hill land will be taken over by Tourism Department to implement the Rs.100-crore PRASAD project. The Centre had asked Karnataka to finalise a Temple for development under the project and we chose the Hill Temple. All the present development works will be stopped and a new eco-friendly and greenery-focussed development will take place there,” he said.

As part of the PRASAD project, parking of visitors’ vehicles will be shifted to the foothill of Chamundi and devotees can use powerful battery-operated vehicles to reach atop the Hill. No vehicle will be allowed up the Hill. “We will follow the Tirupati model where battery-operated vehicles are being used in a phased manner. The focus will be on maintenance of ecology and sustainable developmental activities including maximum utilisation of renewable energy,” he said.

PRASAD is a fully Central Government-funded scheme where Rs.100 crore will be granted towards development of temples.

The scheme was launched in 2014-15 by the Union Ministry of Tourism. It aims at integrated development of pilgrimage destinations in planned, prioritised and sustainable manner to provide complete religious tourism experience. It focuses on the development and beautification of the identified pilgrimage destinations.

The objectives of the scheme are to harness pilgrimage tourism for its direct and multiplier effect upon employment generation and economic development and enhance tourist attractiveness in sustainable manner by developing world-class infrastructure in the religious destinations.

PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPMENT

A meeting to discuss the implementation of the PRASAD scheme was held in city last month. Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar chaired the meeting along with Chamundi Temple Executive Officer and stakeholders of Tourism Department. The meeting listed out a host of development works to be undertaken at the Hill Temple without harming the surrounding eco-system.

Among the proposed works are the development of the roads leading to the Chamundi Hill, erecting signboards, solid waste management unit, illumination of the Gopuram, sound and light system, internet and Wi-Fi facility, entry gates, interpretation centre, CCTV installation, construction of cloak room, compound wall around 10 acres of land around the Hill, separate zone for street vendors, new ticket counters, shifting of the existing KSRTC bus stand, comprehensive development of Mahishasura Circle and construction of bathing houses.