To mark the beginning of holy month of Shravan, Urban Development Minister CP Singh inaugurated the Shravani Mela at Dumma in Deoghar near the border of Jharkhand and Bihar on Tuesday.
On this occasion, he instructed Deoghar district administration to look for and a suitable land plot near the railway station to accommodate devotees and tourists visiting the holy city.
“Government has put in its best efforts to make Shravani Mela better this year and any shortcomings in this regard will be sorted out within the stipulated time period. A building to house the devotees coming to Deoghar will be constructed near the railway station in coming days. Search for land is going on,” the Urban Development Minister said.
Singh inaugurated the Shravani Mela 2016 in the presence of Tourism Minister Amar Kumar Bauri, labour Minister Raj Paliwar, Agriculture Minister Randheer Singh, local Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, local MlA s and several other government officials.
Before inaugurating the Shravani Mela, the Ministers and elected representatives offered their prayers at the Baidyanath Temple. A Tourist Information Centre (TIC) was also inaugurated at Deoghar to aid tourists during their visit to the city.
A total of 11 TICs have been set up – seven in Deoghar, three in Ranchi and one in Sultanganj, Bihar – where tourists can gather information about hiring hotels or vehicles, first aid, and more.
“A team of 170 doctors and 50 ambulances has been deployed to address any emergency. Two divers and two boats have been stationed at Shivganga to prevent deaths due to drowning. 20 temporary police stations, 14 general police stations and six traffic police stations have been set up between Dumma and Deoghar with 40 DSPs and 76 Inspectors working round the clock to maintain law and order,” said Tourism Minister Bauri while inaugurating the TIC.
The State Tourism Department has also prepared a 12-minute long tutorial video, ‘How to do Jalaabhishek’, teaching kanwariyas how to comfortably perform the ritual, stated Joint Director Rajeev Ranjan.
A bus service by local travel agencies, taking the tourists to nearby tourist spots, is also a part of the Shravani Mela celebrations this year. This step is to promote other tourist destinations of the State, stated Tourism Director Prasad Krishna Waghmare.
Meanwhile, Baidyanath Temple authorities are expecting kanwriyas to turn up in huge numbers this year too. “The footfall for the entire month could be anywhere between 45-50 lakh people. With Shravan month beginning from Wednesday, kanwariyas will take gangajal from Sultanganj the day after and will reach Deoghar by Friday,” said Durlabh Mishra, Senior Vice President of Akhil Tirth Purohit Mahasabha.