Smart Kashi App: Redefining Event Planning on Varanasi's Ghats

Varanasi Municipal Corporation will now charge a fee for organizing events on the city's ghats. Organizers must apply through the Smart Kashi app, submitting applications 15 days prior with location photos and event details. The municipal corporation will charge Rs 880 per square meter.

Varanasi's vibrant ghats, symbolic of the city's cultural and spiritual significance, are poised for a change in how events are organized. According to municipal officials, a new fee structure mandates event organizers to pay the Varanasi Municipal Corporation for use of these sacred spaces.

Previously, organizing events on the ghats required only permission from civic authorities, with no associated cost. However, this new regulation will impose a fee of Rs 880 per square meter. To streamline this process, applications must be submitted via the Smart Kashi app 15 days before the planned event.

The application should include photographs of the selected location and comprehensive event details. Sandeep Srivastava, the public relations officer for the Varanasi Municipal Corporation, emphasized that this new system aims to simplify the permission process while ensuring proper use and management of these cultural venues.

(With inputs from agencies.)