Mega Campaign for Cleanliness and Women's Safety in the World-Famous Shravani Mela; 24-Hour Deployment of Sanitation Workers on Ghats and Access Routes, Special State-of-the-Art Toilets and Changing Rooms Built for Women
Bhagalpur, Special Correspondent: During the world-famous Shravani Mela running between Deoghar and Sultanganj, the Bhagalpur district administration and municipal corporation have made unprecedented preparations this time regarding cleanliness, pilgrim convenience, and women's safety. To ensure foolproof sanitation arrangements across all major Ganges ghats, northward-flowing banks, and access routes utilized by kanwarias within the mela zone, special sanitation workers (Safai Mitras) have been deployed on a continuous 24-hour roster. Simultaneously, keeping the convenience and privacy of lakhs of female Shiva devotees arriving from across the country and abroad in mind, a large number of modern and clean facilities have been established, drawing widespread acclaim.
24-Hour Three-Tier Sanitation System: Patrolling from Ghats to Access Routes
Due to the massive crowds surging during the Shravani Mela, waste management poses a major challenge. The administration has geared up to overcome this challenge:
Roster-Based Deployment: Sanitation workers have been deployed in three separate shifts around the clock along the northward-flowing Ganges bank, ghats near Ajgainath Dham, and main access routes passing through Sultanganj, ensuring the area remains completely spotless at all times.
Continuous Sanitization and Anti-Larva Spraying: To avert any risk of disease or infection caused by filth along the kanwar path and halting points, municipal corporation teams are carrying out regular sanitization and anti-larva spraying at frequent intervals.
Mobile Toilets and Dustbins: Large dustbins have been installed at various points along the route, and mobile garbage collection vehicles make continuous rounds so that waste is disposed of immediately rather than scattering on the streets.
Special Arrangements for Women: 720 State-of-the-Art Toilets and Changing Rooms
The greatest difficulties during the mela were historically faced by female pilgrims, which the administration has resolved on a priority basis this time:
Construction of 720 State-of-the-Art Toilets: Keeping the convenience and dignity of female kanwarias and travelers in focus, a special arrangement of 720 state-of-the-art and clean toilets has been made within the mela zone, featuring entirely separate, secure, and sanitized units designated for women.
Changing Rooms at Bathing Ghats: To eliminate the discomfort women face while changing clothes after taking a holy dip in the northward-flowing Ganges, special and secure changing rooms have been constructed near the bathing ghats, equipped with adequate lighting and water supply.
Administrative Monitoring and Control Room
To monitor these arrangements on the ground, the district administration has established a special control room:
Surveillance via CCTV and Drones: To ensure zero laxity in cleanliness and crowd management, every moment of activity is monitored through CCTV cameras and drones.
Deputation of Officers: Senior administrative officers have been assigned responsibilities as nodal officers to oversee sanitation arrangements, conducting surprise inspections to review operations.
The steps taken by the administration regarding cleanliness and women's facilities in this sacred Shravani Mela commencing from Sultanganj, Bhagalpur, are highly commendable. Facilities such as round-the-clock sanitation workers and specially tailored state-of-the-art toilets and changing rooms for women will not only make the journey of kanwarias seamless but will also set an exemplary benchmark for a clean and pristine mela campus.
