Only 2 of 20 ‘Lok’ Projects in MP Completed; Work Yet to Start on 7

Before the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the state government had announced the construction of 20 ‘Lok’ (divine or cultural theme parks) across various religious and historical sites, inspired by the Mahakal Lok in Ujjain. Of these, 14 are religious-themed and 4 are cultural. The responsibility for constructing these sites was given to the MP Tourism Department.

A ground report conducted one year later reveals that construction has not yet started on 7 out of the 20 Lok projects. Work is currently underway on 13 sites. Among these, three projects have achieved only 10% to 30% progress, while six others are between 40% to 60% completed.

So far, only the Mahakal Lok and Venkatesh Lok in Satna are almost complete. In Khandwa district, the second phase of the ₹2,200 crore Advait Lok project in Omkareshwar has been delayed due to pending tenders. Similarly, the Navgrah Lok in Khargone just began construction 10 days ago.

When contacted, officials from the tourism department stated that all projects are being worked on but will require more time to be fully completed.