Latest news with #PitripakshMela
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Cable suspension bridge new attraction of Pitripaksh Mela at Punpun
Patna: Pilgrims and tourists can now enjoy a walk on the cable suspension bridge at Punpun, similar to the 'Lakshman Jhula' in Rishikesh, during the fortnight-long Pitripaksh Mela that will begin on Sept 6. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During a meeting held on Friday to review the preparations for the mela, district magistrate Thiyagarajan SM said, "The construction of the bridge is in its final stage. This will help devotees and tourists in commuting for 'tarpan' and 'pind daan' and will develop Punpun as an important tourist destination." He directed the executive officer of nagar panchayat, Punpun, to ensure that all pre-installed LED high-mast lights remain operational. Officials were asked to set up a temporary control room, a tourist assistance-cum-facilitation centre, and monitor the area with CCTV. The district administration will also construct temporary tents for the convenience of devotees. As a precautionary measure, proper barricading will be done, while NDRF/SDRF teams and divers will be pressed into service. The SDO will send a letter to the DRM, Danapur, requesting short-term halts of trains at Punpun Ghat halt and Punpun station.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Ahead of Pitripaksh Mela, pandas flag traffic chaos, poor sanitation
Gaya: With less than four weeks left for Pitripaksh Mela, Gayawal Pandas want measures like encroachment removal and ban on stray cattle in the entire city to make the event more convenient for the visiting pilgrims. Several lakh pilgrims from all over the country and abroad are expected to perform the ritual for the salvation of souls of their ancestors during the fortnight-long mela. Shambhu Lal Bithal, president of Vishnupad Prabandh Karini Samiti, told TOI that encroachment, poor sanitation, stray cattle and shortage of proper accommodation for the pilgrims remain the main challenge before the mela machinery. In the past, incidents of injury including fracture caused to pilgrims, hit by stray cattle have taken place. According to him, more than 10 ft width of the road between Nai Sadak and Ramsagar in the mela area has been encroached and no serious attempt made to clear it. Piecemeal anti-encroachment drive is not going to serve the purpose. Overflowing drains in the Nawagadhi locality are another major irritant, said Bithal. The temple management committee chief also lamented the somewhat chaotic traffic system of the town. In the absence of a single traffic signal anywhere in the city, the traffic management remains outdated, he said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo by Taboola by Taboola Improving the traffic management system and effective implementation of traffic rules were urgently needed, he said. Mahesh Guput Pitalkewadwale, said to be the most influential Gayawal Panda having a sizeable religious clientele in Nepal and elsewhere within the country, regretted that despite chief minister Nitish Kumar's assurance given about five years back, permanent parking arrangement has not been made for pilgrims. Favouring in person performance of Pinda daan, Guput said the Pandas were opposed to the very concept of remote/online Pind daan rituals introduced by the tourism department of the state govt. According to Guput, more and more pilgrims now prefer the road route to visit Gaya for Pinda daan performance as they consider it to be more preferable on account of its flexibility and personalised nature. Making an interesting point, Guput said whereas earlier pilgrims came by bus, the trend has now changed and many people now prefer personal vehicles. He said a permanent parking arrangement at a convenient point was required. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Minister Prem Kumar reviews Pitripaksh Mela preparations
1 2 3 Gaya: Altogether 19 cells have been involved to ensure the preparations for accommodation, transportation, security, lighting, cleanliness and medical facilities for the pilgrims expected to reach Gaya during the upcoming Pitripaksh Mela. State cooperative minister Prem Kumar held a meeting with district magistrate (DM) Shashank Shubhankar and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anand Kumar on Thursday to review the preparations. The DM informed the minister that accommodation arrangements for more than 66,000 pilgrims besides, 7,200 police personnel is being made in tent city, hotels, guest houses, private buildings and dharmashalas. To ensure smooth transportation, 158 ring buses will run during the mela period. In addition, 65 free e-rickshaws will also be operated. The SSP said magistrates, police officers and other personnel will be deputed in three shifts by dividing the mela area into 43 zones and 209 sectors. "Monitoring of security arrangements will be done through watch towers, drones and binoculars. At different places in the mela area, 70 police camps will be set up with a 'May I Help You' counter. Round-the-clock patrolling will be done on the routes of the pilgrims. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 25 Simple Plant Hacks You'll Wish You'd Learned Sooner Learn More Undo More than 160 closed-circuit television cameras are being installed, for which 49 places have been identified," he said. The minister instructed the municipal body officials to ensure proper cleaning of the underground drains in different wards. Prem Kumar expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Vishnupad and Bodhgaya corridor on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath and Ujjain Mahakal corridor, besides the renovation and beautification work of Gaya railway station. He also thanked CM Nitish Kumar for renaming Gaya as Gaya Ji. A Gaya Ji dham dharamshala is also under construction on the land of infectious disease hospital near Vishnupad temple. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
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
23-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Repair roads, street lights ahead of Pitripaksh Mela, Gaya DM asks officials
Gaya: District administration on Wednesday reviewed the preparations being made for the Pitripaksh Mela in the town, and sought status of repair works of roads, drains, lighting and health arrangements. Chairing a meeting with senior officials and nodal officers of different cells, DM Shashank Shubhankar, issued instructions to expedite repair of 24 faulty high mast lights out of the 250, and 2,400 street lights out of the 25,000, and complete it before the fortnight fair, beginning from Sept 6 this year. The officials informed at the meeting that a list of 37 roads has been prepared for repair, out of which 23 belong to the road construction department. "Repair work of the roads including Pretshila, Chand Chouraha, Ram Sagar road, Golpatthar have been completed, while survey and estimate of other roads has also been completed," said Gaya municipal commissioner, Kumar Anurag. "Get signages installed on the main roads so that the pilgrims can get an idea regarding location and the distance of pind vedis," the DM directed the officials. He also asked them to complete the repair of remaining roads within seven days. Civil surgeon Dr Raja Ram Prasad informed that after meeting with management of private hospitals, rate of treatment has been fixed so that the pilgrims are not exploited in the name of treatment.
