Temple road-widening project puts livelihoods in peril

As bulldozers roll into Dal Mandi in Varanasi to demolish 187 buildings housing over 1,000 shops along the 650-metre road stretch to widen access to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, thousands of traders and residents confront an uncertain future. The ₹224-crore project has sparked displacement fears, compensation disputes and allegations of selective targeting.