Temple town roads cleaned up ahead of President visit

DEOGHAR: The road heading to the ancient temple town of Deoghar will now be lit up by solar lights. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the solar project on April 2, which has lit up the 50-km road linking

Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple

to Baba

Basukinath temple

. The President will also launch a software tech park and a driving school on this visit.

Squatters and encroachers are nowhere to be seen on the clean streets which are usually congested. Government and police officials are also ensuring proper security for the event, along with making other necessary arrangements.

Other routes leading to Deoghar have also taken to this green energy, as have other parts of the town.

Niranjan Kumar

, director of Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency said, "As many as 1650 solar lights have been lit on the road, linking Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple to

Baba Basukinath

temple. The temples are also powered by four solar plants which generate 100KW power. The work on a fifth solar power generation plant located close to the Basukinath Temple is also nearing completion ."

Once the fifth plan is complete, close to 2,500 solar street lights will light up the pathway linking the two pilgrimages that usually witnesses a huge rush of pilgrims every year during monsoon.

"The solar street lights apart from being examples of green energy and helping us save on power expenses will ensure that these roads which are thronged by lakhs of pilgrims every year, does not become dark during power failure, especially after sundown," said a government official.

Solar lights have been set up inside the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple as well, to ensure that the temple is adequately lit up during power cuts and the devotees are not inconvenienced. The road linking Jasidih railway station to Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple and the areas around the deputy commissioner's office also have solar-powered street lights.