Mrituanjay Kumar/Shatrughn Prasad
Ranchi/Deoghar
In a major decision aimed at ensuring smooth crowd management during the upcoming Shravani Mela, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Sourabh Kumar Bhuwania on Wednesday announced that the Shighra Darshanam coupon system will remain suspended on all Sundays and Mondays, the busiest days of the annual pilgrimage. The administration also decided that there will be no VIP, VVIP or out-of-turn darshan during the fair.
The decisions were taken following discussions with members of the pilgrim priest (Tirth Purohit) community during a meeting held at the Baba Baidyanath Temple administrative building. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Commissioner and Panda Dharma Rakshini Sabha president Dr. Suresh Bhardwaj.
The DC further announced that, on the remaining five days of the week, devotees will be allowed to perform Jalarpan only until 8 p.m. Extensive arrangements are being made to ensure a safe, orderly and hassle-free pilgrimage while maintaining the sanctity of temple traditions.
During the meeting, priests raised concerns over year-round crowd management, shortcomings in the coupon system, unauthorized protocol-based entry, and issues related to drinking water, healthcare, traffic, sanitation, security and temple timings.
Senior district officials, including the Superintendent of Police, Deputy Development Commissioner, Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Municipal Commissioner, assured the priest community that all concerns would be addressed while balancing devotee convenience, security and religious customs.
Dr. Bhardwaj stressed that arrangements should ensure that neither pilgrims nor priests face inconvenience during the month-long fair.
Baba Temple In-charge and SDM Ravi Kumar assured that the traditional rights of the pilgrim priests would be fully protected. He also said the new pedestrian overbridge would be completed within three days and made operational before the commencement of the Shravani Mela.
Also, the entire premises of the Rajkiya Shravani Mela 2026 have been declared a complete non-smoking and tobacco-free zone. Under the COTPA Act, 2003, a total ban on smoking and all tobacco products will be enforced within the mela area.
The restriction will remain in effect throughout the full duration of the mela, i.e., from 30 July 2026 to 28 August 2026. The primary objective of this measure is to protect the health of visitors and raise awareness about the life-threatening effects of tobacco use.
