1.5K houses to be cleared from catchment areas of Kanh, Saraswati rivers

Ahead of the Simhastha-Kumbh Mela in 2028 in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, the authorities in Indore have decided to remove about 1,500 encroaching makeshift houses in the catchment areas of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers, an official has said.

The decision is a part of the campaign to make the Kshipra river pollution-free, the official said.

Simhastha Mela is held in Ujjain every 12 years. Tens of thousands of Hindus take a holy dip in Kshipra during Simhastha in Ujjain. According to Hindu scriptures, Kshipra originated from the heart of Varaha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

In the first phase, about 1,500 kuccha houses encroached upon the catchment area of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers will be removed, Indore Collector Ashish Singh told reporters here on Thursday.

He said that the work of shifting the people from the catchment areas, some of whom have been served notices, has been affected due to rains. It will be taken up in the next five to ten days, the collector said.

Singh