Journalism of Courage
Rattled by the recent Gandhi Maidan stampede that killed 33 people on Dussehra, the Bihar government has deployed adequate forces and installed 48 CCTVs cameras on Ganga ghats to monitor crowds and control traffic.
In 2012, a stampede had taken place at Adalat Ghat in Patna during Chhath Puja killing 22 people. Two major stampedes in last three years at the state capital have raised serious questions on the state government’s level of preparedness for big crowd management. In Patna alone, over 15 lakh devotees converge on Ganga ghats to mark Chhath Puja.
City SP Satyaveer Singh said: “We have ensured one-way traffic and deployed private volunteers to help devotees.”
A large number of devotees observe the festival near ponds and cemented tanks constructed on rooftop of apartment blocks. This, however, has not lessened rush at Ganga ghats because of people preferring to mark the festival with neighbours near water bodies.
Bihar Chief Minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi, who had received criticism for “inept handling” of Gandhi Maidan crowd during Dussehra, has personally supervised several ghats this time.
The sun temple at Deb in Aurangabad that attracts lakhs of devotees tobserve Chhath Puja has also seen unprecented deployment of forces. Over 150 generators are hired to lit the area for evening and early morning puja offerings. This time the district administration has preferred generators for safety. Rumours that a live wire had fallen was behind the Gandhi Maidan stampede.
All 38 Bihar district magistrates and SPs had been asked to personally monitor security and crowd management at the ghats.
Meanwhile, the state government has declared public holidays for today and tomorrow.
