Latest news with #Pitripaksh
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Police gear up for Pitripaksh amid spate of crimes in Gaya
Gaya: Drawing flak over a recent spate of daredevil crimes, including two horrific rape cases, one of them involving murder, and a murderous attack on a retired health department official, the Gaya police is now working to put its house in order and strengthen its crime-control machinery. According to City SP Ramanand Kumar Kaushal, the police have initiated a series of measures, including intensified patrolling, updating the "gunda" register, profiling habitual offenders and leveraging technology to monitor suspicious people. "Civil society will also be engaged to provide real-time information on crime and law and order," he added. Special arrangements are being put in place to ensure that the upcoming Pitripaksh is held in a crime-free atmosphere, allowing pilgrims to focus on rituals for the salvation of ancestral souls. A heightened vigil will be maintained to counter the activities of an all-women gang of pickpockets and fraudsters known to become active during the fortnight-long religious event. "Accountability too is being fixed," said the City SP. Gaya has always posed a challenge for law enforcement, given the frequent VVIP visits to Bodh Gaya and Vishnupad, which stretch police resources thin. Official records show that July has been particularly grim. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In addition to the widely reported rape cases, around a dozen murders were recorded in the district during the month. Some, like the brutal electrocution of a young man in the Barachatti police station area, were especially heinous. Among the murder victims was a jawan of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), an elite paramilitary force. The ITBP jawan, a native of Wazirganj, was beaten to death. In another gruesome incident in Alipur, a woman was hacked to death and the assailants fled with her severed head. The coming months are expected to pose even greater challenges for the police, especially with the historical trend of gangs, particularly women pickpockets from outside, operating during Pitripaksh. The festival sees lakhs of pilgrims from across India and abroad gathering in Gaya for ancestral salvation rituals, performed in formats of one day, three days, or two weeks. At stake is the state govt's "sushasan" (good governance) claim. According to JD(U) leader Lalji Prasad, sporadic incidents cannot dent CM Nitish Kumar's image as these are aberrations. "Crimes like kidnapping for ransom and extortion have been severely contained in the Nitish era," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
29-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gaya undergoes heritage makeover for Pitripaksh
Gaya: As the Pitripaksh approaches, Gaya is undergoing a heritage revival to welcome pilgrims with restored glimpses of its ancient identity. The fortnight-long religious fair will take place from Sept 6 to Sept 21. The Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) has taken up the beautification of several major historical sites. Key sites under renovation include the Suryakund pond, Sita Kund, other historic ponds and the Rajendra Tower, a prominent city landmark. Once work is complete, the Rajendra Tower will resume its hourly bell chimes, restoring a tradition that once helped locals keep time. Built between 1910 and 1914 during the British era under collector George Oldham, the clock tower was renamed Rajendra Tower in 1981 in honour of India's first president, Dr Rajendra Prasad. The original clocks, once a reference point for timekeeping, were removed for repairs and kept in municipal storage after they stopped working. Municipal commissioner Kumar Anurag said, "Renovation and beautification of the clock tower has started. Four new clocks with bell sound requisitioned from Kolkata will be installed at the top. The sound will be audible in at least 500 metres radius. However, the bell sound will be switched off during night hours." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info He added, "The walls of Suryakund pond will be painted on the theme of the footprint of Lord Vishnu in the sanctum sanctorum of Vishnupad Temple and the pinddaan rituals. Adequate lighting arrangements will also be made. The civic body has already installed seven mini high-mast lights there." Painting and lighting work will also be undertaken at Sita Kund along with improvements at Ram Kund and Godawari Pond, where sandstone railings are being added. Social worker Bijoy Kumar Mithu said, "The municipal administration should make beautification plans for other neglected sites too like the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the chowk, Azad Park, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and Jawahar Town Hall that would present a better picture of Gaya."
Time of India
25-07-2025
- Time of India
Remove construction materials from Gaya Jn ahead of Pitripaksh Mela, DM asks railway officials
Gaya: District Magistrate (DM) Shashank Shubhankar and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anand Kumar on Friday inspected the Gaya Junction and directed railway officials to remove construction materials from the railway station premises so that pilgrims, who will be arriving Gaya Ji from different parts of the country and the abroad during the upcoming Pitripaksh Mela, do not face any inconvenience due to the ongoing re-construction work of the railway station. The fortnight-long Pitripaksh Mela will be organised this year from Sept 6 to 21. "Get the iron equipment and other construction materials scattered around the station premises, removed at an isolated place to avoid inconvenience to the pilgrims. Also get all exit roads and the parking on the station premises levelled and signage, indicating entry and exit routes, installed. Ensure installation of lights at every place so that no dark spot is left. Arrival and departure of trains should be displayed through LED and television screens," the DM instructed during the inspection. He observed that the foot overbridges at some places have become very narrow and instructed to get signage installed at such places, and also deploy officials and police personnel so that any sudden crowd of pilgrims might be divert through safe route. The DM and the SSP also held a meeting where the railway officials informed them that at present more than 85 trains are operational via Gaya Junction. Everyday around 40,000 to 50,000 passengers travel via this station. The number of passengers travelling is likely to be around 80,000 to 90,000 during the Pitripaksh this year. Majority of pilgrims come here from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana, they said. The DM instructed to get adequate number of high resolution CCTV cameras installed for crowd control management and set up a control room as well at the station premises. He also asked to get Mithila painting done on walls of the station for an appealing look.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Desliting of Gayaji dam, ponds begins ahead of Pitripaksh Mela
Gaya: District magistrate (DM) Shashank Shubhankar held a meeting with stakeholders of Pitripaksh Mela and senior officials here on Saturday, to discuss preparations for the fortnight event scheduled this year from Sept 6 to 21. He instructed officials to decide a theme and decorate the mela area with paintings. The DM instructed to tag locations of all the 'pind vedis' on Google map, and integrate AI (artificial intelligence) based chat bot in govt app and portals. "These advanced technologies will help the tech-savvy pilgrims to solve language related problem and trace the landmark of desired 'pind vedis', he said. Meanwhile, the cleaning of silt from the bottom of Gayaji dam began on Sunday so that pilgrims can take a dip in the clean water before performing rituals and offering 'tarpan'. The DM also instructed to get the silt cleaned near Saraswati, Dharmaranya, Pitamaheshwar and other 'pind vedi' sites, falling along the Falgu river side. The pilgrims perform tarpan at eight ponds and pinddaan at 52 pind vedis spread from Pretshila (North of Gayaji town) to Bodh Gaya (south). During the last two years, after the expansion of the ghats of Falgu river, huge number of pilgrims have come to perform the rituals. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo According to the district administration, about 23 lakh pilgrims reached Gayaji during the fortnight-long Pitripaksh last year. The DM further instructed senior officials, heading different committees, to constitute sub-committees for physical inspection of the ongoing preparations. He also asked them to hold weekly meeting of officials and the staff, and prepare a checklist to ensure proper division of work. He instructed municipal commissioner to get a survey conducted and prepare a plan for repair of the roads, slabs and the grill of drains of the mela area, restart the laser light show and fountain at Vaitarni pond, get the broken tiles at Deoghat replaced and ensure availability of drinking water, besides, cleaning and repair of toilets and changing rooms. Installation of additional power transformers, proper lighting arrangements leaving no dark spot, parking, accommodation arrangements were among other key instructions, the DM gave to officials concerned at the meeting. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
08-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gaya Ji reflects the soul of Bihar: Former DM
1 2 3 Gaya Ji, a place of deep spiritual and cultural significance, continues to be a focal point for pilgrims and visitors alike. In an exclusive conversation with TOI's Alok Kumar, former Gaya DM Thyagarajan S M reflects on the importance of the city and its evolving role. Excerpts: Gaya will now be known as 'Gaya Ji'. How significant is this? Whenever I interacted with people visiting from across the country and abroad, I felt a deep sense of reverence among those coming here to perform pinddaan. Almost all devotees refer to the city as 'Gaya Ji', which is among the most ancient cities of Bihar. CM Nitish Kumar, who personally monitors preparations for the fortnight-long annual Pitripaksh, also refers to the city as Gaya Ji. Even groups of devotees from European and African countries who came here for pinddaan described their pilgrimage as visiting 'Gaya Ji'. The city has always been a top priority on the CM's development agenda for the state. It was at his behest that India's largest rubber dam, constructed on the Falgu river near Dev Ghat to the east of the Vishnupad Temple, was earlier named the 'Gaya Ji Dam'. The CM has honoured the sentiments of the pilgrims by officially naming the holy city as 'Gaya Ji'. A record number of around 23 lakh pilgrims visited Gaya Ji during Pitripaksh in 2024. What challenges did the administration face in ensuring their convenience? Under the CM's guidance, multiple facilities are added every year. The Gaya Ji Dam on the Falgu river was completed before Pitripaksh in 2022. He personally dedicated the dam, which is one of his most ambitious projects aimed at ensuring the availability of water in the Falgu throughout the year for pilgrims. The Falgu is an undercurrent river, which used to remain dry except during the rainy season. Given the spiritual importance of Falgu water in Hinduism, the CM's vision is to ensure that at least three feet of water is available in the river year-round for pinddaan rituals. Apart from the Falgu, Gangajal also holds special significance in Hindu rituals. The supply of Gangajal to households in Gaya and Bodh Gaya was implemented in 2022. Packaged Gangajal was also distributed to pilgrims during Pitripaksha 2024. Ensuring proper arrangements for such a large gathering is always a challenge. However, with the support of civil and police administration, we ensured the best possible crowd management. A queue system for entry into the Vishnupad Temple ensured that every pilgrim had the opportunity to have a darshan of Lord Vishnu's footprint in the sanctum sanctorum. To prevent traffic congestion, direct access to Vishnupad Temple from NH-82 was ensured through alternative routes like Sita Path and Vishnu Path. The ghats of the Falgu have been widened. Free accommodation has been provided for the last three years in the tent city at Gandhi Maidan for a large number of pilgrims. As a result, no one has had to spend the night under the open sky. What further development plans are currently under implementation? Ropeway construction is underway at Dhungeshwari, Pretshila and Brahmayoni hills, which are key religious sites for both Buddhists and Hindus. Other milestones in world-class infrastructure include the Mahabodhi Cultural Centre, inaugurated in 2022, and the Mahabodhi Atithi Grih (guest house), completed this year in Bodh Gaya under the Chief Minister's direction. These facilities now meet international standards for conferences and hospitality. Located in prime areas, these centres have drawn interest from many organisations, particularly from Buddhist countries. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Mahabodhi Mahavihara has also been fully solar electrified to promote green energy. Other developments include Jataka paintings on the northern walls of the Mahavihara and world-class tourist amenities have recently been created in Bodh Gaya. One of the most serious problems for the residents of Gaya Ji has historically been the water crisis, especially during summer. Earlier, people had to rely solely on tubewells for drinking water, which led to a depletion of the groundwater level during the summer months in Gaya and Bodh Gaya. However, under the Gangajal supply scheme, the projected population of 2051 has been taken into account. Household pipelines now supply Gangajal in both Gaya and Bodh Gaya. This scheme has improved groundwater levels, as an estimated 80 million cubic metres of underground water is now being saved daily due to the reduced dependence on tubewells.
