MLA, DC take stock of Sodal Mela preparations

MLA Raman Arora and DC Dr Himanshu Aggarwal today reviewed preparedness for the upcoming Sri Sidh Baba Sodal Mela. They said the district administration would make elaborate arrangements to facilitate the pilgrims converging to pay obeisance at Sri Sidh Baba Sodal Temple on September 17.

Presiding over a meeting with various organisations and departments here today, the MLA and the DC said the district administration would make foolproof arrangements to ensure that the pilgrims coming to this holy place for paying homage did not face inconvenience. They said the fair was an important event in the region and every effort must be made to ensure that pilgrims offered prayers in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

Roadways buses for pilgrims

• The roadways will make buses available to ferry pilgrims to the shrine
• The MC will depute Safai Sewaks to ensure cleanliness in and around the temple by lifting the garbage on time
• The civic body will also make adequate arrangements for the supply of potable water and setting up of temporary public toilets
• The police are asked to ensure proper surveillance, announcement system, traffic management, route plan and traffic diversion

They reviewed security arrangements, traffic plan, cleanliness around the temple premises, potable water, mobile toilets, deployment of medical teams, etc. During the meeting, it was decided that the General Manager of the Punjab Roadways would be asked to make buses available to ferry pilgrims to the shrine and the PWD would ensure proper safety of pilgrims by inspecting stages and swings to be installed during the fair.

To ensure cleanliness around the temple premises, it was decided that the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar (MCJ), would depute Safai Sewaks round the clock in rotation and proper cleanliness must be ensured in and around the temple by lifting the garbage on time.

Similarly, the civic body would also make adequate arrangements for the supply of potable water and installation of temporary public toilets. Officials of the MC were asked to ensure proper lighting in and around the temple premises. Likewise, the police were asked to ensure proper surveillance, announcement system, traffic management, route plan and traffic diversion, besides others.

The Health Department would depute its teams along with ambulances during the fair to impart health services to people and the PSPCL would ensure interrupted power during the fair by making adequate arrangements for power backup, besides fixing dangling wires.