Officials from the police top brass in the district visited the Ijtema venue on Monday, holding consultations with the organising committee. The officers assured them of unstinting cooperation during the four-day event commencing on November 29.
Conducting a review of preparedness for the event, attended by tens of thousands of visitors from across the country, Additional Commissioner of Police Pankaj Shrivastava and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sanjay Singh strategised key security and traffic arrangements.
The officials assured members of the organising committee that all arrangements would remain in place ahead of the arrival of devotees for the congregation. The Bhopal Ijtema, now in its 77th year, is one of the largest congregations of the Muslim community anywhere in the world.
Over the years, the event has grown significantly with support from the district administration and the state government, which lend crucial logistics support to the 25,000 volunteers who work round-the-clock to ensure its success. Volunteers welcome arriving devotees at all bus stands, railway stations, and the airport before arranging local transport for them to reach the Ijtema venue at Eintkhedi on the outskirts of the state capital. This year, organisers are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the event by banning single-use plastics and segregating garbage before composting the wet waste.
