Shatrughn Prasad
DEOGHAR
The first Monday of the Rajakiya Shravani Mela 2026 witnessed a massive turnout of devotees at the Baba Baidyanath Temple, with the district administration putting in place elaborate security, traffic and crowd management arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of jalabhishek.
Thousands of Kanwariyas queued up from the early hours to offer holy water at the shrine. To manage the heavy rush, officials maintained strict vigil along the Kanwariya route, queue complex and holding points, ensuring that crowd pressure did not build up at any sensitive location.
Ahead of the day’s peak rush, Deputy Commissioner Saurabh Kumar Bhuvania reviewed the arrangements across the mela area, from Nandan Pahar to the Baba Baidyanath Temple. During the inspection, he directed officials, magistrates and police personnel to remain alert while assisting devotees with patience and a service-oriented approach.
The administration ensured that holding points along the route remained fully functional with essential facilities such as drinking water, electricity, mist cooling systems and medical assistance. Health camps were equipped with ambulances and life-saving medicines, while information centres, police outposts, traffic control units and electricity centres remained operational throughout the day.
Special attention was also paid to traffic management, with designated parking areas monitored to prevent unauthorised parking and congestion on roads leading to the temple. Officials regulated vehicle movement to minimise inconvenience to both pilgrims and local residents.
District authorities said arrangements at the queue complex and other public facilities were continuously monitored throughout the day to facilitate the safe and orderly movement of devotees. Senior administrative and police officials remained stationed at key locations across the mela area to oversee operations and respond promptly to any emerging situation.
