UP CM to inaugurate three-day Janmashtami celebrations in Mathura

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the three-day Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in Mathura on Saturday, where the main attraction will be the "Dahi Handi".

For the first time, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to organise Janmashtami on a grand scale for three days, an official release said here on Friday.

Over 1,000 artistes from all over the country and abroad, Bollywood celebrities and folk artistes are expected to participate in the mega event, it said.

Popular music composer Shankar Mahadevan is scheduled to perform at the Ramlila Ground, while "Bhajan Samrat" Anup Jalota will sing devotional songs.

Actor-turned-politician and BJP MP from Mathura Hema Malini is also likely to perform.

Tableaux will be taken out on Saturday as part of the "Krishnavatar" programme.

To promote tourism in the area, 10 water tanks and ponds are being renovated in Mathura district at a cost of Rs 11.98 crore.

Principal Secretary (Tourism) Jitendra Kumar said the renovation work would be completed by November.

He said 80 per cent of the work was completed at a cost of Rs 9.66 crore of the Rs 11 crore released against the total cost.