Lucknow: In a significant move, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday declared Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad and Barsana Nagar Panchayat in Mathura district as "pavitra tirth sthal", or holy pilgrim place.

While making the announcement, state's minister for religious affairs and culture, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said that following the declaration, the sale of meat and liquor would be banned within the municipal limits of the towns, the Times of India reported.

He added that the two places would be developed for religious tourism in the state.

Vrindavan, the birth place of Lord Krishna, and Barsana, the birth place of Radha, are the first two towns to be notified as "holy pilgrimage sites" by the state government, The Indian Express quoted Principal Secretary (Religious Affairs) Avinish Kumar Awasthi as saying.

"Lakhs of tourists visit these places to pay obeisance. Keeping in mind their importance and in view of tourism, these are declared as holy pilgrimage places," said an official release issued in Lucknow on Friday.

Interestingly, the declaration was made at the eleventh hour as the State Election Commission announced civic polls in three

phases from November 22.

Meanwhile, stressing on the government's commitment towardspromoting religious tourism in the state, Chaudhary said, "Our chief minister recently celebrated Diwali on a grand scale in Ayodhya on October 18 where nearly 2 lakh diyas were lit. He also visited Chitrakoot and did a five-kilometre long 'parikrama' of the Kamadgiri temple and now he has declared Vrindavan and Barsana as pilgrimage site".

Chaudary further said that chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who revers the "Braj Bhoomi" will also pay a visit to the "pious land for the fourth time in a month" on November 1, TOI reported.

Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam was constituted recently along with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.

(With PTI inputs)