On Makar Sankranti, thousands of pilgrims took a holy dip at Gangasagar in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. Gangasagar is where the Hooghly river meets the Bay of Bengal. Like every year, many devotees came to Gangasagar to bathe in the water and join the Gangasagar Mela, one of the biggest religious fairs in India.
The fair is a special event filled with devotion, where sadhus (holy men) and pilgrims come together. People took their holy bath and prayed at the Kapil Muni Ashram, all while being watched over by tight security. The best time for the ‘Shahi Snan’ (royal bath) began at 6:58 AM and went on for 24 hours.
To keep everyone safe, around 13,000 police officers, 2,500 civil defense volunteers, and teams like the NDRF and Navy divers were on duty at Gangasagar. The event was also monitored by 24 drone cameras and 1,150 CCTV cameras, all controlled from a high-tech center using advanced GPS technology from ISRO.
Local officials said that out of 853 lost persons in the Mela area, 803 were found. Sadly, three people have died at the Mela, including two from Uttar Pradesh.
The state government set up a big control room to watch different parts of the festival. Every vehicle, boat, and bus was tracked live. Special wristbands were given to elderly people and children so that if they got separated from their families, their mobile numbers could be accessed quickly by scanning the bands.
The West Bengal government created strong safety plans for Sagar Island. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the Gangasagar Mela to be recognized as a national event. This year, the Mela happened at the same time as the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh
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