Ganagasagar Mela this winter will have a slew of measures for comfort and safety of pilgrims.
Thousands of people visit the Sagar Island on Makar Sankranti every year for taking a holy dip at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. The festival mostly falls on January 14 every year and sometimes on January 15.
The island, which lies in the Ganges delta about 100 km south of Kolkata, is under the South 24 Parganas district and part of the Sunderbans (though there are no tiger habitation or mangrove forests here). It is also known as Gangasagar or Sagardwip. The pilgrims offer puja at the Kapil Muni temple. According to some estimates, in 2018, nearly 20 lakh people visited Gangasagar Mela. Thus, the state administration has to make ample arrangements every year for conducting the entire event smoothly with special attention to prevent any untoward incident in the presence of such a massive crowd.
The fair this time is going to be plastic-free with a plastic recycling unit set up in the area. Around 5,000 volunteers will be deployed to keep an eye on any unlawful plastic use in the area. Water will be served to the pilgrims in plastic pouches which will be disposed off in the plastic recycling unit after use. All the shops in the area have been directed to use paper bags, cups and plates to discourage the use of plastics. The Kapil Muni temple authorities have also been directed to use paper bags while distributing puja offerings to pilgrims.
Also, this is the first time all state-run buses and vessels plying to and from the island will be fitted with geographical positioning system (GPS) so that these can be monitered constantly.
The government hopes that such a system will aid in achieving a smoother transportation. Control rooms for monitoring purposes will be set up at various places including Kolkata, Alipore and Diamond Harbour among others. If the buses get stuck en route, the control rooms will be able to probe the reason and take prompt action. The system will help spot traffic congestion and help understand whether buses need any technical assistance or if it has met with an accident.
Vessels will also be monitored similarly through GPS and ensure safety of travellers. Around 40 motor vechicles inspectors will be present at the fair ground to ensure safety of passengers riding buses.
The state governement will run 2,200 buses from January 11-17 for the convenience of pilgrims. Number of buses will be increased on January 14 and 15, the day of taking the holy dip when the number of people arriving the island increases. The number of buses has been increased considerably this year keeping in mind the ever growing crowd at the festival. The buses will be available from Dharmatala, Babughat and Howrah. The number of vessles have also been increased to 18. That apart, two extra vessels will be kept ready for emergency purposes. Around 80 jalsathis (lifesavers) will be present at the beach to save people from drowning. The lifesavers will have foglights, whistles and other necessary equipment.
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