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Lakhs of devouts expected to take the holy dip today
With the auspicious Paush Purnima and Makar Sankranti falling on January 14, the annual Magh Mela is set to begin amid mismanagemet and irregularities on Saturday. Even, DM Amrit Abhijat accepted this fact in the presence of mediapersons hours before the start of this year's first holy dip. How disjointed things stand as of now was visible when the DM kept summoning officials and heads of different departments to mend things .
With the auspicious Paush Purnima and Makar Sankranti falling on January 14, the annual Magh Mela is set to begin amid mismanagemet and irregularities on Saturday.
Even, DM Amrit Abhijat accepted this fact in the presence of mediapersons hours before the start of this year's first holy dip. How disjointed things stand as of now was visible when the DM kept summoning officials and heads of different departments to mend things and complete the unfinished tasks in front of mediapersons.
Whether it is pertaining to electricity supply, potable water or the usual story of checkered plates left without being properly hooked, nothing was in order even a day before the beginning of the world's greatest religious fair held on the banks of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
All this despite the fact that huge sums are released each year by the government in the interest of lakhs of piligrims coming from all over the world.
Even the health department which plays a major role in looking after the health of the pilgrims is yet to set its house in order.
A health official claimed to have constructed 1834 toilets at different places for the facility of pilgrims even when the actual requirement is over 2300 toilets.
What is ironical is the fact that the Ganga which attracts millions of devouts is itself not clean.
Those responsible for the cleaning of this holy river have miserably failed to maintain its purity.
Officials are more interested in getting themselves posted in the Mela for making a fast buck than looking after the genuine needs and requirements of the pilgrims who arrive in droves from far and near for washing their sins.
The Tehri dam and the taming of the river at that point is reported to have wreaked more havoc. Dirty water of hundreds of drains that join the river throughout its course from Hardwar to Prayag have turned the river water unfit for drinking. On his part the DM accepted that the river water was not the same as it used to be.
He blamed the tanneries as the cause behind the pollution.
Meanwhile , as against the demand of Rs 950.73 lakh the government has provided a sum of Rs 346.80 lakh for the holding of this more than one month long fair.
