Ujjain Simhastha 2028 Road Widening Begins Near Ganesh Chowk, 272 Buildings Affected

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Work has begun to widen the 730-metre road from Khajurwali Masjid via Abdalpura and Jivajiganj police station to Ganesh Chowk to 15 metres. About Rs 9.80 crore provided by the state government will be spent on the road widening and development work.

The busy connecting road is being widened in view of the expected increase in devotees and vehicles during Simhastha Mahaparv 2028. The project is expected to ease traffic movement and benefit residents, traders and other commuters.

A total of 272 buildings are proposed to be affected by the widening. Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) has completed road measurements and boundary marking and served notices to owners of affected buildings as per rules.

From Saturday, residents began voluntarily removing marked portions of their houses. Vinod Rathore and Ravindra Kumar Rathore were among those who started removing the marked portions of their properties.

Municipal commissioner Abhilash Mishra inspected the proposed road on Saturday and reviewed the progress. He directed officials to provide necessary assistance and guidance to affected property owners and residents and complete the work within the stipulated period.

Traders seek postponement

UMC is also preparing to widen Mirza Naeem Beg Road from Tanky Chauraha to Telivada Chauraha to 18 metres as part of Simhastha preparations.

The existing road is around 15-16 metres wide at different points, and the widening will affect shops and houses on both sides by around 3-5 feet.

The road is a busy commercial stretch with shops selling sarees, tiles, electronic goods and ready-made garments. With the Diwali shopping season approaching, traders have sought to postpone the demolition and widening work until after Diwali, fearing disruption to business.

Simhastha Fair Authority chairman Jagdish Agrawal said the widening is essential and cannot be delayed for long because of the Simhastha deadline. To minimise inconvenience to traders, he suggested carrying out the work in 150-metre sections instead of widening the entire road simultaneously.