Widening Of Roads In Ujjain For Simhastha 2028 Sparks Protests. Here's Why

The government is preparing for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Ujjain. The city council is surveying roads, but residents are protesting road widening due to concerns about house demolition.

File photo of anti-encroachment drive by the district administration in Ujjain as part of road widening.

Source : ANI

Ujjain Protest News: The widening of roads in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain ahead of the Simhasta festival in 2028 has sparked protests. The Simhasta festival will be held from March 27, 2028, to May 27, 2028.

The roads in Ujjain are being widened to deal with traffic snarls. The municipal corporation is now undertaking road widening works to deal with the problem. The plan is to widen the major routes in the city by up to 50 feet. This could involve acquiring spaces with people's homes and businesses, locals fear.

Citizens are, hence, objecting to the road widening. Residents of areas where the works are planned have put up posters outside their houses in protest.

The Municipal Corporation team has surveyed the widening in the Ravishankar area of the Mahakal temple access route. People are angry against the action of the Municipal Corporation. They expressed their displeasure by putting up posters outside their houses in protest. Kamal Singh Rahi said that there is no need for widening at the moment. Ravishankar Marg is already wide. The district administration team is also widening the Hari Fatak bridge.

Residents took to the streets in protest by putting up posters on their houses

There is a lot of pressure on the Hari Fatak Bridge on the Mahakaleshwar temple approach route. Widening the Ravishankar Nagar Road by 25-25 feet on both sides would be wrong, said locals. Local resident Manoj fears that his house may be affected by the civic body's actions. He said that widening the road by 25 feet on one side would eliminate the existence of the house. I

Similarly, other people also have complaints. Local residents protested the action by putting up posters on their houses and shops in protest. However, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation's actions also received the backing of a section of citizens who felt the roads are indeed "narrow" and require widening. "Devotees going to the Mahakal temple face difficulties. Therefore, the administration's decision is right," a Ujjain resident said.

Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh said that the widening of the roads is crucial, considering the sheer number of devotees visiting the Ujjain Mahakaleshwar temple. "The number of devotees at the Mahakaleshwar temple is increasing by the day. Many routes around the Mahakaleshwar temple suffer congestion due to this. Hence, the route is being widened to deal with the traffic problems," he said.

(Story by Vikram Singh Jat, ABP News.)