SRINAGAR: Stressing police and civil administration to make flawless arrangements for Eid-i-Milad celebrations, Minister for Horticulture, Haj and Auqaf, Abdul Rehman Bhat (Veeri), Monday said such mass congregations provide an opportunity to promote religious tourism in the State.
“These important events should be seen as an opportunity to promote religious tourism, in line with the vision of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,” he said this during a meeting with police and civil administration officers at Banquet Hall here to review Eid-i-Milad preparations.
During the meeting officers of Power Development Department (PDD) informed the Minister that a Special Control Room has been set up to monitor power supply and to deal with any eventuality in case of a power breakdown. Mr Veeri stressed on the officers to ensure adequate heating arrangements and uninterrupted power supply especially to areas where major congregations will be held on Eid-i-Milad including Dargah Hazratbal, Jinaab Sahab Soura, Pinjora, Kailashpora and others.
In the meeting, the Minister also directed officers of Srinagar Municipal Corporation to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene during the Milad celebrations besides stationing mobile toilets outside shrine complexes across the state.
The SMC officers informed Mr Veeri that 130 employees have been pooled from various wings of the corporation for maintenance of sanitation, lavatory blocks and loaders. “In case of snowfall, adequate arrangements should be made for snow clearance to provide uninterrupted and hassle-free transport services to major shrines of the State,” Mr Veeri said.
The officers of the police and traffic administration informed the Minister that a Special Route has been chalked out to ensure smooth transport services for devotees from northern and southern parts of Kashmir Valley to pay obeisance at Dargah Hazaratbal.
Meanwhile, officers of the transport department informed the Minister that 610 special buses have been put into service in different parts of Kashmir Valley to ferry devotees during Milad celebrations, apart from routine 300 buses.
“Bus services should run late into night and there should be adequate arrangements for smooth flow of traffic to avoid jams or congestion. Besides, the civil and police administration should join hands to make proper arrangements for parking to avoid inconvenience to devotees,” the Minister said.
The Minister was informed that Special Medical Camps have been set up en-route Hazratbal, where doctors, will be available round-the-clock along with ambulances to avoid any delay in ferrying critical patients to hospitals.
The Public Health Engineering officers informed the Minister that adequate number of tankers carrying drinking water have been kept in place at Hazratbal, Jinab Sahib Soura, Kailashpora and other shrines for devotees. The officers of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution department said that extra quota of essential commodities including sugar, flour, rice and kerosene have also been distributed in places which shall witness night congregations.
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