Preparations for Sawan Fair Intensify; Municipal Commissioner Issues Special Instructions to Welcome Devotees at Ganga Ghats; Repair Work on Dilapidated Barari Pul Ghat Road Underway on a War Footing
Bhagalpur, Chief Correspondent: With the advent of the holy month of Sawan, dearest to Lord Shiva, a massive influx of Bholenath's devotees (Kanwarias and pilgrims) has begun heading toward Bhagalpur. Seeing the huge crowds of Shiva devotees taking holy dips in the north-flowing Ganga at Sultanganj before proceeding toward Deoghar, or visiting Bhagalpur's various historical Ganga Ghats, the district administration and municipal corporation have gone into complete readiness. In this sequence, the Municipal Commissioner of Bhagalpur recently conducted a surprise inspection of the city's major Ganga Ghats and issued necessary directives to administrative officials regarding the convenience and safety of devotees arriving during the Sawan fair.
However, amidst these preparations, the dilapidated road at Barari Pul Ghat has remained a major challenge, to rectify which repair works are being carried out on a war footing.
Municipal Commissioner's Tour of Ghats and Review of Arrangements
To keep law and order as well as cleanliness under control during the Sawan fair, the Municipal Commissioner, along with senior corporation officials, conducted an intensive inspection of Barari Sidi Ghat, Mojahidpur, Budhanath Ghat, and primarily Barari Pul Ghat. During the inspection, he directed that robust arrangements be ensured so that the lakhs of devotees arriving at the Ganga Ghats do not face any kind of inconvenience.
The key directives issued by the Municipal Commissioner include the following points:
Cleanliness and Bleaching Powder Sprinkling: Strict instructions were given to run continuous sanitation drives on the Ganga Ghats and their surrounding paths, remove garbage, and sprinkle bleaching powder and lime to prevent infections.
Better Lighting Arrangements: Kanwarias throng the area from early morning until late evening during the month of Sawan. Keeping this in mind, instructions were given to repair high-mast lights and additional street lights across all major ghats and routes so that no one faces trouble due to darkness.
Temporary Changing Rooms and Women's Toilets: Keeping in mind the privacy and convenience of female devotees and Kanwarias, special temporary changing rooms and bio-toilets (mobile restrooms) are being set up along the banks of the ghats.
Robust Security Arrangements and Divers: Directives have been issued to set up barricades and red flags in deep-water zones so that no devotee ventures into deep water. Additionally, the deployment of local divers alongside NDRF and SDRF is being ensured.
Dilapidated Road at Barari Pul Ghat a Cause for Concern, Repair Work Underway
The route of Barari Pul Ghat is considered extremely crucial from the perspective of Kanwarias' transit during the month of Shravan. However, for the past few months, the condition of this main thoroughfare's road has been quite rundown and dilapidated. Due to the formation of large potholes in various places, waterlogging during the rainy days caused severe hardships to devotees and vehicle drivers.
Taking the dismal state of the road seriously, the Municipal Commissioner and local administration had ordered repairs to commence even before Sawan began. Currently, patchwork and the dumping of soil and gravel are underway on a war footing to fix this broken road at Barari Pul Ghat. Corporation engineers have been directed to work day and night to make the road completely traffic-worthy and safe before the main dates of Sawan (Mondays and special fair days), so that Kanwarias do not suffer injuries due to pebbles or potholes.
Enthusiasm and Expectations Among Locals and Kanwarias
Local citizens and Shiva devotees have welcomed these steps taken by the administration. However, they believe that had the road repair work started a bit earlier, people would have received better roads right from the start of Sawan. Nonetheless, witnessing the administrative proactiveness, it is hoped that Kanwarias will find relief during their journey in the coming days.
For the holy occasion of the month of Sawan, the Municipal Corporation and district administration have completely buckled up to welcome the swelling crowds at Bhagalpur's Ganga Ghats. The ongoing efforts to repair the dilapidated road at Barari Pul Ghat in a timely manner prove that the administration is serious about the convenience and safety of the devotees. If all arrangements are implemented on the ground on time and with absolute sincerity, this year's Sawan fair in Bhagalpur will prove to be completely peaceful, well-organized, and memorable.
