The long wait of 10 years for the rejuvenation of the Yamuna river ghats from near the Banke Bihari Temple to Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan has finally come to an end. On Thursday, officials from the Irrigation Department and the executing agency conducted a site inspection. Over a stretch of 600 meters from Keshi Ghat toward the Banke Bihari Temple, eight Yamuna ghats will be developed. The project for the expansion, renovation, and beautification of the Yamuna ghats will cost ₹177.81 crore.
To improve the condition of the Yamuna ghats from the Banke Bihari Temple to Keshi Ghat, a riverfront development plan was prepared in Vrindavan in 2014. At that time, a cemented wall 3–4 feet high was constructed in front of the ghats to prevent soil erosion and retain water. Underground pipelines were also laid.
Meanwhile, in 2016, Vrindavan social activist Madhumangal Shukla filed a petition in the High Court, arguing that polluted water from drains was flowing into the Yamuna and that no provision had been made for this in the riverfront development plan. Since then, the project had remained stalled. Later, the Jal Nigam undertook the tapping of the drains. Out of a total of 23 drains to be tapped in Mathura–Vrindavan, 19 have already been tapped, while the process of tapping the remaining drains is in its final stage.