Varanasi: The holy city, on Wednesday, remained busy in preparations of the Mahashivratri festival falling on February 21.
The police officials held meetings of peace committees and chalked out plans for crowd regulation and security related exercises. Meanwhile, the temple authorities also remained busy in making arrangements for the special religious rituals and programmes to be held in and around the temple on the auspicious occasion.
The series of meetings of peace committees, recently started by the police at all police stations, were held on Wednesday to maintain law and order during Mahashivratri celebrations. The peace committee members were motivated to play an active role in maintaining communal harmony and peace during the festival. The police teams also carried out route marches in sensitive and mixed-populated areas of the city.
SSP Prabhakar Chawdhary said that apart from ensuring foolproof security equal focus is being laid on the crowd regulation exercises for which barricading and barriers have already been installed at all the strategic points of the city. The traffic restrictions and diversions for the festive day will become effective from Thursday night, said the SSP adding that the deployment of outstation police and paramilitary forces will also start from Tuesday night.
Regarding the arrangements for Mahashivratri, chief executive officer of Kashi Vishwanath temple Vishal Singh said that the sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be opened for the devotees for darshan after performing Mangal Aarti between 2.20am and 3.30am on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Devotees will be allowed to offer prayers to Lord Vishwanath by viewing him from the doors of sanctum sanctorum, he said. Series of darshan will continue uninterrupted as doors of sanctum sanctorum will remain opened during other aartis, he added.
Meanwhile, other prominent temples of the cities also made arrangements to manage huge crowd expected on the festive day along with the security arrangements. Besides, preparations were also made regarding special religious rituals planned for the day. Many city temples are also being decorated for the occasion.
The police officials held meetings of peace committees and chalked out plans for crowd regulation and security related exercises. Meanwhile, the temple authorities also remained busy in making arrangements for the special religious rituals and programmes to be held in and around the temple on the auspicious occasion.
The series of meetings of peace committees, recently started by the police at all police stations, were held on Wednesday to maintain law and order during Mahashivratri celebrations. The peace committee members were motivated to play an active role in maintaining communal harmony and peace during the festival. The police teams also carried out route marches in sensitive and mixed-populated areas of the city.
SSP Prabhakar Chawdhary said that apart from ensuring foolproof security equal focus is being laid on the crowd regulation exercises for which barricading and barriers have already been installed at all the strategic points of the city. The traffic restrictions and diversions for the festive day will become effective from Thursday night, said the SSP adding that the deployment of outstation police and paramilitary forces will also start from Tuesday night.
Regarding the arrangements for Mahashivratri, chief executive officer of Kashi Vishwanath temple Vishal Singh said that the sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be opened for the devotees for darshan after performing Mangal Aarti between 2.20am and 3.30am on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Devotees will be allowed to offer prayers to Lord Vishwanath by viewing him from the doors of sanctum sanctorum, he said. Series of darshan will continue uninterrupted as doors of sanctum sanctorum will remain opened during other aartis, he added.
Meanwhile, other prominent temples of the cities also made arrangements to manage huge crowd expected on the festive day along with the security arrangements. Besides, preparations were also made regarding special religious rituals planned for the day. Many city temples are also being decorated for the occasion.
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