Shravanabelagola, the pilgrimage centre known for its Gomateshwara statue, has found a place among 10 heritage sites identified under the Phase II of the Swachh Iconic Places (SIP), an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The list of places included in the second phase of the project was released in Delhi on Tuesday during the two-day national consultation on Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) conducted by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Shravanabelagola has been chosen for this project at a time when it is gearing up for the Mahamastakabhisheka to be held in February 2018. Hassan Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, who also participated in the two-day consultation in Delhi, told the media here on Friday that she had sought a grant of ₹50 crore for development of the site.
The Union government had earlier selected 10 places in Phase 1 and improved the sites with sewage treatment infrastructure, sanitation facilities, water vending machines, solid and liquid waste management set-up, lighting, beautification of parks, and other basic amenities to benefit tourists.
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Under the SIP project, the Centre has decided to develop 100 heritage sites. In the first two phases, 10 places each had been selected. Shravanabelagola will benefit from this project, the DC added.
The 10 places identified include Gangotri, Yamunotri (Uttarakhand); Mahakaleshwara Temple (Madhya Pradesh); Charminar (Hyderabad); St. Francis of Assissi (Goa); Kalady (Kerala); Gomateshwara (Karnataka); Baijnath Dham (Jharkhand); Gaya Tirtha (Bihar); and Somnath Temple (Gujarat).