Hola Mohalla kicks off at Kiratpur Sahib

Tribune News Service

Kiratpur Sahib, February 25

The six-day Hola Mohalla festival kicked off with “Akhand Path” at Gurdwara Patalpur Sahib here today. Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh offered ardas on the occasion.

The festival will be held at Kiratpur Sahib till February 27 before being shifted to Anandpur Sahib for the next three days.

At Anandpur Sahib, political conferences will be held by the Shiromani Akali Dal and SAD (Amritsar) on March 1 and the festival will conclude the next day with a procession of Nihangs and display of gatka and horse riding skills.

More than 25 lakh devotees are expected to visit the two towns during this period. Meanwhile, the district administration for the first time has introduced mobile app “Hola Mohalla Suvidha” for devotees visiting the festival.

Using the app, the visitors will be able to locate important places and facilities being provided by the district administration, including parking areas, gurdwaras, community kitchens, drinking water, health facilities, ambulance service, public conveniences and police posts set up at several places. The app is available in Gurmukhi as well as English and can be loaded from Google play store free of cost. The app will also provide information regarding walking distance between two places.

To meet any medical emergency, 13 dispensaries manned by 66 doctors have been set up in the area. Besides, 17 ambulances will remain stationed at different points in the two towns.