Key Points

In an exclusive interaction with IANS, Hema Malini said the Rs 500 crore Banke Bihari temple corridor in Vrindavan should come up, as "it's now or never".

Allaying fears of the shopkeepers, property owners, and people on rent who fear huge losses during the corridor redevelopment, Hema Malini said that the Yogi Adityanath government has already promised that those losing their property and even those who do not have papers will get compensation, and those losing their shops will get a new shop in the developed corridor.

She pointed out that if it is not built, the situation will worsen beyond imagination.

On the Goswamis opposing the project, she said: "They should understand. They should have made some proper arrangements to manage the crowd. Around 5,000 people are being let into a place that can accommodate 50 people. There are so many tragedies happening. It's not a way to visit a temple. It seems like approaching a battlefield."

Due to the huge crowd, many people return as they are unable to have darshan of the deity, she further said.

Hema Malini gave assurance that if any problem arises, she will look into it.

Appealing to the goswamis to let that work for the corridor begin, she said: "Abhi nahi, toh kabhi nahi (If it is not be done now, it will never happen).

Besides, she also pointed out that the Vrindavan bypass project, estimated to cost crores of rupees, has been passed, and soon its work will begin.

Using that bypass, devotees would not have to enter the main city, thus solving the concerns of locals, who face difficulties and cannot come out of their homes due to a sea of devotees.

The Goswamis are opposing the Vrindavan corridor and threatening to relocate the Banke Bihari deity to another location. They allege that the government wants to turn the place of faith into a picnic spot.

On May 15, the Supreme Court allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to go ahead with the Vrindavan corridor project.

- IANS