VARANASI, June 20 -- The Varanasi district administration has fast-tracked two major infrastructure projects, the Varuna Elevated Corridor and the Ganga Elevated Corridor, aimed at easing city congestion. Following the approval of these projects, the administration has imposed an immediate ban on land registrations for 53 identified villages and land parcels falling within the alignment of the proposed corridors. The four-lane Varuna Link Elevated Connector Corridor, which will be constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is set to span 21.153 kilometers, running parallel to the Varuna River. This project will connect National Highway-31 to the Varanasi Ring Road, passing through 41 villages across the Sadar and Pindra tehsils. The six-lane Ganga Elevated Road is expected to serve as a "lifeline" for the city. Starting from the left end of the Vishwa Sundari Bridge, the route will extend 2.5 km to the Samne Ghat Bridge, then traverse approximately six kilometers towards Ramnagar to reach Namo Ghat. From there, it will connect directly with the Ring Road's Ganga Bridge. Once completed, the Ganga corridor will provide a bypass for vehicles arriving from Chandauli, Mirzapur, Ghazipur and towards Bihar, allowing them to circumvent the city centre. The project also includes three pedestrian suspension bridges to enhance connectivity across the Ganges and facilitate smoother traffic flow. To facilitate land acquisition for both projects, the district magistrate has issued an order imposing a complete ban on several activities in the affected areas, including: buying and selling of land, speculative agreements, execution of gift deeds, changes in land-use classification, and allocation of government land...