LMC readies ?ghats of content?

DESCRIBE A rowing trip down the Gomti… but, if you’re thinking of nose-screwing graphic descriptions of cow dung stink, flies, murky water and slum-dwellers defecating in the open then, stop!

Come November and you can change that description to romantic boating trips, lush greenery on the banks, clear water and long nights of careless whispers on the ghats!

True!
It’s time to write to all those ‘foreign’ friends who thought going to the ghats meant taking the last train to the Holy City of Benares. This because the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is all set to pour out Rs 170 lakh to construct nine new ghats in Lucknow. It’s an ambitious project to woo tourists and help Lucknow keep pace with the evolving tourism market.

One lakh trees have already been planted along the banks and motorboats have been requisitioned for plying on the Gomti. Soon, visitors to the riverside can go for horse-riding too. The Corporation is using the bustling Varanasi ghats as a blueprint to get the Gomti ghats buzzing as well.

For the slum-dwellers, the LMC has put aside another Rs 200 lakh for constructing 21 toilets on the banks. Not only will this help keep the river clean but give the slum-dwellers a hygienic option for their daily ablutions. The toilets will be built on the riverside roads.

LMC chief engineer SK Srivastava told HT Lucknow Live on Saturday, “Gau Ghat, Gulal Ghat, Kudia Ghat, Marimata Ghat, Gomtig Ghat, three Rastogi ghats, Nardanada Ghat, Deoraha Ghat and Bhainsakund Ghat are set for makeover as part of the project. The State Government has agreed to fund the project as part of the Gomti Workplan.”

He said, “About Rs 28.05 lakh will be spent on Gau Ghat, Kudia Ghat, Marimata Ghat and Gomti Ghat each. Rs 30.55 lakh will be spent on Gualala Ghat and Rs 21 lakh on the Bhainsakund Ghat. Rs 1.15 lakh will be spent to rebuild Rastogi Ghat while Rs 1.45 lakh will be spent to improve Nardananda Ghat. Rs 1.32 lakh will be spent to improve the Deoraha Ghat.”

Srivastava also said, “The 21 toilets will be constructed near Ahmed Nagar, Mir Purwa, Sheesh Mahal, Hussainabad, Babu Nagar, Sikandar Bagh, Hanumanghat, Parag Diary, Maheshganj, Rooppur, Khadia, Harding Bridge, Mohan Meakins, Daliganj, Hanuman Setu, Near Colvin College, New Hyderbad, Paper Mill, Bal Nagar, Valmiki Nagar and Bhikampur. All the toilets will have modern facilities and the slum-dwellers will be charged a nominal amount for their news.”