Pioneer News Service
Deoghar
Eastern Railway successfully executed comprehensive operational planning and robust passenger amenity management during Shravani Mela 2026. Demonstrating strong ground-level oversight, General Manager Gitika Pandey, along with DRM Asansol Sangrah Maurya, DRM Howrah Vishal Kapoor, Principal Heads of Departments (PHODs), and senior officers, conducted extensive field inspections across key stations and festival zones.
During these visits, the top management inspected facilities firsthand and interacted directly with thousands of devotees to gather real-time feedback and ensure a comfortable, safe, and seamless pilgrimage experience.
Eastern Railway achieved impressive pilgrim-handling outcomes across its network. Up to 28 August 2026, a total of 75.2 lakh (7,521,710) pilgrims were handled at the six key reporting stations, reflecting a 10.54% growth over the 2025 cumulative figure of 6,804,716 pilgrims. Growth was particularly strong at Basukinath (+24.67%), Tarakeshwar (+19.91%), and Deoghar (+15.45%). Peak single-day handling included 159,108 pilgrims at Tarakeshwar on 3 August 2026 and 92,898 pilgrims at Jasidih on 17 August 2026.
To manage the heavy influx of devotees smoothly, Eastern Railway deployed extensive operational infrastructure at all major stations. Dedicated holding and assembly areas were provided to regulate crowd movement, including 84,500 sq ft at Jasidih, 30,000 sq ft at Deoghar, 12,000 sq ft at Basukinath, 5,800 sq ft at Baidyanathdham, approximately 1,700 sq m (assembly/arrival/temporary) at Sultanganj, and 1,480 sq m at Tarakeshwar (with capacity for 6,000 passengers).
To prevent overcrowding at booking offices, augmented ticketing arrangements were made through UTS, ATVM, and mobile UTS (M-UTS) counters. A total of 49 UTS, 28 ATVM, and 49 M-UTS counters were operated across the six stations.
For enhanced security and surveillance, 309 CCTV cameras were installed across the six stations. Command-and-control arrangements included a Command & Control Centre at SHE, along with War Rooms at Tarakeshwar and Sultanganj. These were supported by 890 RPF personnel deployed on special mela duty—comprising 410 at Tarakeshwar, 120 at Sultanganj, 270 at Jasidih, 30 at Deoghar, 15 at Baidyanathdham, and 45 at Basukinath.
Comprehensive medical, sanitation, and accessibility support was arranged network-wide. Nine medical assistance booths and nine ambulances successfully attended to 16,063 medical cases. Additional passenger amenities included water booths/coolers, pay-and-use toilets, mobile bio-toilets (including 20 at Tarakeshwar and high-capacity units at Jasidih, Deoghar, Baidyanathdham, and Basukinath), Divyangjan toilets, May-I-Help-You booths, TIB/CIB displays, and station-level passenger guidance systems as required at each location.
To facilitate seamless connectivity, Eastern Railway operated a cumulative total of 2,075 Mela Special train trips. The overall operational strategy integrated capacity augmentation, intensive surveillance, station war-room monitoring, passenger information systems, medical and sanitation support, and additional train services to ensure the safe and smooth handling of heavy peak-day pilgrimage traffic.
