Solapur admin prepares Rs4,000cr draft plan for Pandharpur corridor

Kolhapur: The Solapur district administration has prepared a draft for "Shri Kshetra Pandharpur Corridor" with a total outlay of Rs4,000 crore, including expenses of Rs1,800 crore for acquiring the land. The draft was presented by district collector Kumar Ashirwad before Solapur district guardian minister Jaykumar Gore in Mumbai on Monday. Several authorities from Solapur district administration and Pandharpur were also present on the occasion. Pandharpur hosts the temples of Vitthal and Rukhmini and is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year. The corridor aims to provide safety and facilities to the Warkaris.According to the district administration officials, around 1,000 properties with 7,000 residents around the temple will be affected by the plan. The administration plans to compensate them and the cost is likely to go up after the negotiation. There will be seven-storied four parking buildings, two pedestrian bridges over Chandrabhaga river. Also, the housing complex for the sanitation staffers of the temple town will be built as per the plan. "It is a dream project of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. A detailed discussion over the plan has been done. Some suggestions have been made for safety and proper facilities. We aim to complete the project in estimated time and the quality of the works will be the top priority," Gore said. Upon Gore's suggestion, the plan will be tweaked and after that it will be presented before the cabinet. According to the sources, the cabinet will soon give its nod and Fadnavis may make an announcement about the funds in the upcoming state budget.