About 65 lakh pilgrims from across the country have visited Sagar island to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal during the Ganga Sagar Mela, West Bengal Minister for Power, Sports and Youth Welfare and Housing said on January 14. Only a day ago on January 13 the Minister had put the number of devotees who had visited the island for the annual pilgrimage to 45 lakh.
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The Minister said that the huge rush of pilgrims is because the West Bengal government is promoting ‘religious tourism’ as a priority sector and every religious pilgrimage in the State is witnessing a rise of pilgrims and visitors.
Mr. Biswas said that the annual pilgrimage starts from January 8 and concludes on January 17. The auspicious timing for holy dip for the occasion of Makar Sankranti is from 00.13 hrs on January 15 to 00.13 hrs on January 16.
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Elaborate security arrangements with 14,000 police personnel, 1150 close circuit television cameras, 12 drones for the annual Ganga Sagar Mela. The administration has built 45 watch towers and pilgrims are being ferried to Sagar Island through 36 vessels, 100 launches and six barges across 22 jetties, while 300 fog lights have been installed on Muriganga river that separates Sagar Island to the mainland.
So far two persons have died in the Ganga Sagar Mela and six persons have been airlifted by different hospitals In Kolkata. The dead has been identified as Mohan Lal Prajapati (57) a resident of Rajasthan Prahlad Singh (69) a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
For the pilgrims coming from different states the State government has made arrangements from six announcement towers in seven languages. Six Ministers of the West Bengal government have deployed to oversee arrangements of the Ganga Sagar Mela.
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Devotees perform rituals after taking a dip in the Ganga river during the Ganga Sagar Mela in Kolkata on Jan 14. | Photo Credit: ANI
The Ministers lauded the arrangements at the Ganga Sagar Mela, describing it one of the best in the country and reiterated the state government’s demand for according ‘national fair’ status for Gangasagar Mela similar to the Kumbh Mela. The projected budget for the Mela this year is Rs 250 crore and according to the State government the Centre is not paying a single penny.
Meanwhile, with a large number of people gathering at the mela the number of incidents of theft are on the rise. About 250 people have been arrested so far for involvement in various illegal activities. 41 cases of pickpocketing have been reported, with owners getting back their belongings in 38 cases.
Despite claims by the State government that it has made enough arrangements for pilgrims and have provided them night shelters, hundreds of people are seen sleeping in the open in the Ganga Sagar mela grounds.