Chief minister Arjun Munda plants a sapling at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi on Sunday. (Hardeep Singh)

Ranchi, July 17: Lord Shiva, perched atop the 2,140ft Ranchi Hill, will have something more than mere blessings to shower on devoted mortals this Shravan. And farmers should feel particularly fortunate.

In keeping with the current “go green” mantra, bel leaves and flowers offered to the deity at Pahari Baba temple will be converted into bio-fertiliser to aid growth of vegetables. This will be followed throughout the holy month of Shravan during which lakhs of pilgrims flock to the temple on the picturesque Ranchi Hill and also in the days to come.

Confirming this, a member of Pahari Mandir Vikas Samiti, Bipin Kumar, said this was the first time that such an initiative was being undertaken at the behest of Ranchi deputy commissioner K.K. Soan.

“On an average, 100kg of bel leaves and flowers are offered to Pahari Baba every day during the month of Shravan. Generally, these leaves and flowers are of no use to us and they rot, thus polluting the ambience of the temple and making the place dirty. Hence, a plan has been made to decompose the offerings and turn them into bio-fertiliser so that they can be used in agricultural fields,” he said.

Initially, the fertiliser will be distributed free of cost among the devotees depending on its demand. Once it becomes popular, nominal charges will be collected from people and the money will be used for development of the temple. “Work is expected to start within a week,” Kumar said.

Soan added that the project did not involve much cost and would go a long way in developing a green atmosphere around the temple and its adjacent areas from where encroachments had recently been removed.

“I have asked members of the Samiti to dig a ditch on Ranchi Hill and dump bel leaves and flowers in it. Thereafter, the process of preparing fertiliser is not difficult. However, I have asked them to be very careful, as there are chances of polythene bags getting mixed with the offerings,” he said.

Soan further said that efforts were being made to make the environment pollution-free. “We have put a ban on polythene bags, which are used to carry puja paraphernalia. Vendors doing business near the temple have been asked to co-operate with the district administration,” he said.

Meanwhile, chief minister Arjun Munda and Speaker C.P. Singh today visited Pahari Mandir amid tight security. During their 15-minute stay, the duo offered prayers to Lord Shiva and planted saplings of peepal and anwala alongside the newly developed approach path to the top of the hill.

Proper arrangements were made for the high-profile visit. A team of district officials, including Soan, SSP Praveen Kumar SDM Shekhar Jamuar, was present along with office-bearers of Pahari Mandir Vikas Samiti. A sniffer dog and rapid intervention vehicle were also kept ready.