The Haridwar administration and the police, currently engaged in manning the ongoing Ardh Kumbh, seem to have set their eyes a bit far, as despite two snans scheduled before the fifth holy bath on Shivaratri, including the one slated on Friday on the occasion of Basant Panchami, they are now gearing up for the snan to be held on the occasion of Shivaratri on March 7.
They also are bracing up for the arrival of the Kanwariayas who would come in droves on foot to collect the holy water from the Ganga to be taken to the Shivalayas in their native places.
On Thursday, district magistrate Harbans Singh Chugh held a review meeting of the preparations for the fifth snan of Ardh Kumbh Mela which falls on 7 March to mark the Shivaratri festival. He gave directions to the officials from different administrative departments to cater to the needs of the Kanwariyas to ensure they do not face any difficulty while in Haridwar.
Holding a meeting along with the senior superintendent of police Santhil Abudai Krishan Raj at his camp office, the district magistrate said that the departments must ensure the facility of water and electricity for the Kanwar pilgrims coming from the neighbouring States. He directed the Jal Nigam to install water stand-posts near Rasiabadh range. Instructing the chief engineer of Jal Nigam Sansthan Mohammad Meesam, he stressed on proposals being sent for hand pump boring at the earmarked places. He asked the sector magistrates to provide ambulance and first aid facility at main points of the city.
Referring to the orders of the National Green Tribunal, the district magistrate asked all concerned to ensure that the plastic is not used in any form in the city during the mela. He directed the officials to start lopping of shrub overgrowth and trees in the northern parts of the district. Chugh directed the electrical department officials to facilitate uninterrupted power supply through generators. He also instructed the food and safety officials to conduct random raids to check adulteration in food products. For the traffic management, he asked the officials concerned to earmark the diversion points across the city.
Amongst other officials, ADM J S Nangiyal, additional district magistrate Abhishek Tripathi, SP City Navneet Bhullar, City magistrate Jai Bharat Singh, SDM Pratyush Singh Pawar, MNA Vipra Trivedi, deputy mela adhikari Devendra Singh Negi and DSO Rahul Sharma were present at the meeting.