GUWAHATI: Guwahati City seems to have been jinxed over the past few weeks. The water supply pipe burst, iron shuttering falling from flyovers under construction, and mishaps due to pit holes in the city have created panic amongst denizens. Some of these, also result in the loss of lives. Amidst such challenges, the authorities had the responsibility of ensuring that the Ambubachi Mela, one of the largest religious festivals in India, held in Guwahati, goes ‘incident free.’
Despite the “mess” in Guwahati because of the developmental work carried out across the city, the Kamrup (Metro) District Administration, Guwahati Police, and Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) worked tirelessly to ensure the event is organised flawlessly. The Ambubachi Mela was organised from June 22, for four days.
The Kamakhya Temple witnessed a footfall of around 2 lakh visitors each day during the four-day event. On the last day of the festival, there was a huge rush of visitors which could have caused a chaotic and stampede-like situation. To everyone's relief, the authorities' dedicated efforts, ensured a smooth event.
Joint Commissioner of Guwahati Police, Prateek Thube played a key role in maintaining law and order during the event and was applauded for his efforts. People from all sections praised the administration, police officials and GMC officials for their efficient management of basic facilities, such as drinking water, proper toilets, food arrangements, cleanliness and law and order.
Speaking to G Plus, a devotee from Gujarat, Hetal Acharya, expressed her admiration for the authorities in arranging the event. She said, “From basic facilities of drinking water and proper toilet facilities to the arrangement of food and tents, it was clear that the officials did not miss out on anything." She was also very impressed with the law-and-order management and praised the city police. She said, “A tall officer wearing spectacles really managed the law-and-order situation very well.”
Taking to Twitter, Pallav Gopal Jha, District Commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) also lauded the Joint Commissioner, Prateek Thube for his dedication and sincere efforts.
In his tweet, Jha posted, “This year also went well as always... @PrateekThube Exemplary work… May Goddess bless you all…”
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation was another key stakeholder in the efforts of ensuring a smooth Ambubachi Mela. It is worth mentioning that the Joint Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Loni Borpatra Gohain, worked relentlessly in the field 24/7 to ensure all amenities are provided and managed, including managing devotees in camps at Kamakhya Railway Station and Pandu Port. She led the GMC team, and her dedication was instrumental in the success of the Mela.
Gauri Biswas, a devotee from West Bengal said, “This is the first time I have visited Ambubachi Mela and I have never seen anything like this before. I have visited many places across India but this is the most unique one and I am really happy with the way the officials have made the arrangements here. Although there was so much of a crowd, we were asked to maintain order and the police officials were cooperative as well. I am hoping to visit Ambubachi Mela next year with my family so that they can witness the same experience as me.” She stressed that despite so much of the crowd everything remained “clean” as the waste management and the cleanliness drive was very efficient.
The smooth management of the event reflects their commitment to ensuring that visitors had an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
Earlier G Plus had reported that this year it will be a “low-key” Ambubachi celebration. Enquiring why the festival is low key this time, the Secretary of Kamakhya Devalaya, Bhaskar Sarma talking to G Plus had said, “This year the festival is low key because of the space,” adding that since last few years, the footfall has increased 100 times.
Bhaskar Sarma further said that last year there could have been a stampede which was averted and it was very difficult to control the crowd. Whatever infrastructure is available is very less for the devotees during Ambubachi and it should be increased,” said the Secretary adding that a huge development plan is in progress for Kamakhya.
In April this year, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a four-minute video on his official Twitter account where he gave a glimpse of how the renovated Kamakhya area will look in the near future. The development project will transform the grandeur of this major ‘Shakti Peeth’ significantly while also improving the accessibility for differently abled and aged devotees and tourists’ manifold, said a senior Assam government official in April.