Efforts on to ensure a corona free Magh Mela
Magh Mela to be held in January would be very different. All saints entering the Mela area would be required to carry a covid negative certificate with them, officials said. The Magh Mela is an annual religious event, held in January.
This year the authorities have made it clear that the main stress would be to keep the mela area corona-free. For this all kalpwasis (people who lead an austere life for a month on the banks of the holy confluence of rivers) and saints, who would either be allotted land in the Magh Mela or allowed to camp there, will have to carry their corona negative report with them, officials said.
Moreover, the Kalpwasis would also be requested to minimise the number of visitors in their camps. No one without facemask would be allowed in the mela area, officials said.
The district administration officials held a meeting with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday and apprised him about the blueprint and preparations that they propose for Magh Mela 2021 through a presentation.
The CM too has given several instructions in the meeting to hold a safe Magh Mela, keeping the tradition of the fair intact.
In the meeting, it was decided that the Kalpwasis would need to go through the reserve transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, three days before entering the mela area and produce a certificate of being Covid-19 negative to the authorities.
Moreover, the Kalpwasis would also be subjected to rapid antigen tests twice during their month-long stay in the mela area.
The CM has called upon the diabetic patients to take decision as per their own wisdom and medical advice before deciding over the month-long stay at the banks of river Ganga, officials said.
At the meeting, officials from Prayagraj have been asked to conduct extensive sanitisation and ensuring that the devotees, visitors and administrative officials follow the norms of social distancing to keep the mela area free from coronavirus.
“It will be mandatory for all devotees to wear facemasks in the mela area as we are committed to have a corona-free Magh Mela next year”, said the mela
Adhikari, Vivek Tripathi.
However, the issue of budget for the annual religious fair was not taken up in the meeting, but the chief minister said that there should be no shortage of facilities in the event, said the officials, who attended the meeting.
According to local officials, the budget of the fair is expected to be around Rs 68 crore.
However, cleanliness and safety of the devotees would be of paramount importance in the mela and the same was discuss at length at the meeting with the CM. Yogi has asked the officials to construct more toilets in the Mela area, maintain cleanliness and continuously spray pesticides. The security of the fair was also discussed in detail.
It will be mandatory for all devotees to wear facemasks in the mela area VIVEK TRIPATHI, mela officer