Chandigarh, Oct. 29 -- Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh on Thursday called for strengthening transportation and connectivity facilities for devotees and tourists attending the International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra, while Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced a series of religious, cultural and infrastructure initiatives for this year's celebrations.

Chairing the 83rd meeting of the Governing Body of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB), the Governor appreciated the arrangements made during last year's festival and stressed continuous improvements to make the event more organised and convenient. He called for better access to fairgrounds, expanded bus services and improved transport facilities through coordination among the Board and district administration.

Ghosh and Saini also launched the 'Digital Heritage App' and the 'Kurukshetra Sarathi Mobile App'.

Saini said the International Gita Jayanti celebrations would be held from December 5 to 25. An awareness campaign covering 182 pilgrimage sites in the 48-kos region would begin on December 2, followed by a procession from Pipli on December 4. The programme would include Bhagwat Katha, Gita conferences, an exhibition marking 60 years of Haryana's formation and activities for academicians and young people.

West Bengal and Delhi would participate as partner states. ISRO, the Navy, the Air Force and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations would also take part in the exhibition. A crafts fair featuring renowned artisans from across the world and a Gita book fair would be organised.

District-level celebrations would take place from December 18 to 20, with Gita recitation programmes in village temples. Students from Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country would be encouraged to participate.

Reviewing pending development works, Saini ordered a joint committee comprising Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner and his Officer on Special Duty, B.B. Bharti, to audit the projects and submit a report. He warned of strict action against those found responsible for irregularities and said the KDB would undertake development works directly instead of different departments executing them separately.

A 90-room guest house would be built on 6.5 acres at Brahma Sarovar at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Other projects include a Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh Gate at Purushottampura, renovation of the ancient Draupadi Koop, peacock-feather-shaped lights and new tiles at Brahma Sarovar, and an entrance gate and Gita Pillar at Jyotisar.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.