Why in news?

Mathura-Vrindavan, one of India’s largest pilgrimage centres, aims to become a “net zero carbon emission” tourist destination by 2041

Highlights

• How? tourist vehicles will be banned from the entire Braj region, which includes famous pilgrim centres such as Vrindavan and Krishna Janmabhoomi.
• All water bodies and 24 forests in the area will also be revived

the plans

• the plan divides the entire Mathura-Vrindavan region into four clusters, each containing two of the eight key cities.
• The idea is to form small circuits called Parikrama Paths which the pilgrim can undertake either on foot or using electric vehicles
• Tourists would park their vehicles outside the cities and use only electric vehicles such as e-rickshaws and mini-buses to travel within these small circuits.
• The plan envisages three to five charging points for electric vehicles in Mathura and Vrindavan and two each in other key towns.
• Some of the Paths being planned are in Govardhan, Gokul, Barsana and Vrindavan, all places deeply associated with Krishna devotion

How to attain the carbon neutral status ?

• To attain a net zero carbon emission status, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests .

Mathura

• It is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh
• Mathura an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes.
• In Hinduism, Mathura is birthplace of Krishna, which is located at the Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex
• It as been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India
• The Mathura Museum is notable for archaeological artefacts, especially those from the Kushan and Gupta empires.
• Kankali Tila brought forth many treasures of Jain art.
• The archaeological findings testify the existence of two Jain temples and stupas. Numerous Jain sculptures, Ayagapatas (tablet of homage),pillars, crossbeams and lintels were found during archaeological excavations.

 Vrindavan

• It is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India.
• Vrindavan is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as god Krishna spent most of his childhood days in this city.
• It is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnavism tradition.
• Vrindavan is a significant part of the “Krishna pilgrimage circuit” which also includes Mathura, Barsana, Gokul, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, Dwarka and Puri
• The essence of Vrindavan was lost over time until the 16th century, when it was rediscovered by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• Vrindavan is also known as the “city of widows” due to the large number of widows who move into the town and surrounding area after losing their husbands.