Thecommittee, chaired by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has approved the inclusion of the external bypass road at Jejuri under the Shrikshetra Jejuri Gad Pilgrimage Development Plan, allocating an additional fund of ₹10.68 crore for this purpose.
The government decision in this regard has been issued by the Planning Department, led by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar.
Pawar instructed during the district-level meeting on February 17 to include the bypass road at Jejuri under the Srikshetra Jejuri Gad Pilgrimage Development Plan.
He directed the authorities to complete the related proceedings immediately. Consequently, the proposal was prepared and approved by the High-Level Committee under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary on March 11, and by the committee under the chairmanship of Shinde on March 13, 2024. Accordingly, the government decision for new works and funding approval was issued yesterday.
₹109.57 crore works sanctioned in 2022
An additional ₹10.68 crore has been sanctioned for the ₹109.57 crore works sanctioned on June 20, 2022, for the first phase of the Shrikshetra Jejuri Gad Pilgrimage Development Plan, and this new bypass road has been included.
According to the instructions of Pawar, this process of submitting the proposal and obtaining the necessary approvals was completed in just one and a half months.
The Development Plan is being implemented in three phases on behalf of the state government for the development of Shree Khandoba Deva, the deity of Jejuri, and the Jejuri city development. A total of ₹109.57 crore has been sanctioned for the development work in the first phase. This new bypass road has now been included by sanctioning ₹10.68 crore more.
Out of the ₹109.57 crore sanctioned in the first phase, ₹11.23 crore is allocated for the preservation and repair of the temple and entire fortification, ₹11.25 crore for the preservation and repair. Additionally, ₹12 crore is allocated for the preservation and repair of ancillary structures, ₹12.56 crore for the preservation and repair of historic Holkar and Peshwa lakes and other water bodies, and ₹2.2 crore for the preservation and repair of Malhar Gautameshwar temple, Lavathaleshwar, and Ballaleshwar temples. Furthermore, ₹10.73 crore is allocated for the preservation and repair of Kadepathar temple two step ways. Provision was made for expenditure of ₹12 crore under basic infrastructure, and ₹18 lakh for landscape development, etc.
Work actually started in July 2023, inaugurated by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister on August 7. In September, renovation work began in the core of the main temple. Currently, repair and preservation works are in progress.
