Sankranti: Devotees flock to Kalijai Island

BERHAMPUR: The usually sleepy Kalijai Island on the picturesque Chilika Lake, considered to be the abode of Goddess Kalijai, around 70 km from here, woke up to a Sunday of activity. Braving the biting cold, devotees from across the state and Andhra Pradesh flocked to the island on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, caught a glimpse of the goddess - the presiding deity of fishermen - and took a dip in the lake.
Hundreds of boats were seen anchored off Rambha, Balugaon, Kespur and Barkula to ferry visitors to the temple. "We engaged 220 boats to bring devotees to Kalijai Temple from Barkula," said Basant Nayak, president of Maa Kalijai Motorboat Owners' Association. More than 100 boats were pressed into service at Balugaon to ferry the devotees to the temple.

Besides private boats, the state-owned Odisha Tourism Development Corporation and the Inland Water Transport (IWT), Balugaon, deployed 10 boats on the occasion. "The boatmen took adequate safety measures for passengers. We distributed life-jackets, fire extinguishers and boat-boys among more than 220 boatmen on Saturday," said P K Das, assistant engineer of IWT Balugaon.

He said the government had provided these to the boatmen at a subsidized rate.

"All boat operators in Chilika will be provided the safety materials in a phased manner," Das said. Around 1,500 boat operators run their vehicles on the lake from different jetties. "Besides, we have given life insurance coverage to the passengers. The scheme covers 22 passengers, including the driver and the helper of a boat," said Nayak.

Four persons, including two children, were killed on December 10, 2016, when the boat they were travelling in capsized in the lake near Sabuliya in Ganjam district.

Police also made special arrangements for the occasion. Besides deployment of heavy forces, they kept three rescue boats on standby, said a police officer.

"Patrolling has been intensified in the lake, particularly in Nalabana, the bird sanctuary area, to prevent poaching," said divisional forest officer, Chilika wildlife division, Bikash Ranjan Das.