Changing rooms on floating jetty in Ganga in Varanasi

VARANASI: Those wanting to take a holy dip in the Ganga river here will soon get the facility to a changing room on the floating jetty.

The foundation stone of the floating jetty equipped with changing rooms, was laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year and the project is likely to complete by the month end.

The facility will be available on the 34 meters long and 8 meters wide floating jetty that is being developed at a cost of Rs 99 lakhs.

Devotees, particularly women, will no longer feel uncomfortable while changing clothes at the ghats in the open. The changing rooms along with lockers are being built on the floating jetty.

The chief general manager of the Varanasi Smart City Mission, D Vasudevan said that the devotees will also have the facility of lockers on the floating jetty.

"A total of 30 changing rooms, including 15 for women and 15 for men, are being built on the 34 meters long and 8 meters wide floating jetty," he said.

The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone and dedicated development projects worth more than Rs 1,780 crores in Varanasi on March 24.

Apart from the floating jetty, these development projects include the passenger ropeway from Varanasi Cantt station to Godowlia, a 55 MLD sewage treatment plant at Bhagwanpur under Namami Ganga Scheme, Phases 2 and 3 of the redevelopment works of Sigra Stadium, an LPG bottling plant at Isarwar village, Sewapuri to be built by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, and a primary health centre in Bharthara village, among others.

The PM had also dedicated 19 drinking water schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which will benefit more than 3 lakh people of 63 gram panchayats. He also laid the foundation stone of 59 drinking water schemes under the mission.