BJP politician Subramanian Swamy wrote to Fadnavis seeking cancellation of Pandharpur temple corridor plan

Kolhapur: BJP politician Subramanian Swamy wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Feb 12, demanding cancellation of the Pandharpur Temple Corridor Development Plan, saying it would require the demolition of ancient maths, temples and structures, and faces opposition from local residents in Pandharpur.Pandharpur houses the famous Vitthal-Rukhmini temple. During auspicious days of the calendar, several lakhs of devotees arrive in the temple town to get a glimpse of the deities. The devotees are called warkaris, and they are mainly farmers from rural parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.Swamy claimed state govt is forcing the plan, inspired by the Varanasi and Ujjain temple corridor development plans. He said local priests and shop owners affected by the proposed corridor plan had approached him. Swamy suggested the corridor should be built along the Chandrabhaga river, and that plots owned by the municipal council, but currently encroached upon, should be made available to develop facilities for the warkaris."There is no real purpose to the corridor development plan. The so-called plan will not be beneficial to the residents or the devotees. It is going to be a waste of public money. The proposed corridor is against the sentiments and wishes of the people. There are several illegalities in the proposal, and it will not be needed if the govt and municipal-owned land is properly utilised," Swamy wrote to CM Fadnavis on Feb 12. The detailed letter was posted by him on his social media handles.CM Fadnavis has given the responsibility of convincing the residents of the town about the temple development plan to district collector Kumar Ashirwad. In Aug, Ashirwad said there should not be any discussion about whether the plan was going to happen or not; it was definitely happening. He said that the Holkar and Shinde Sarkar Wadas, which are more than 200 years old, will be protected, and the old temples and memorials will be conserved. Neither the local municipal council nor state govt revealed the details of the plan. However, according to officials, the plan included widening the roads approaching the temple, due to which the shops, maths and small temples would be affected.After Swamy revealed that he wrote to CM, several traders stepped, raising slogans against the temple corridor plan. They said attempts were made to force the plan on residents during the administrative rule of the Pandharpur Municipal Council. The protestors said the plan should now be discussed before the newly elected body of the council. "My family's livelihood depends on the devotees arriving at the Vitthal Rukhmini temple. Govt's plan will uproot my home and shop. The administration did not give us any idea about rehabilitation or how much the affected persons will get in compensation," said Dattatray Deshmukh, a resident of the temple town.