The district administration and Hanuman Mandir have made elaborate arrangements for devotees to celebrate Ram Navami on April 5.

Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal recently conducted an important meeting with Mahavir Mandir Trust secretary Kishore Kunal in the matter. Several important decisions were taken to ensure the best arrangement for devotees.

Mahavir Mandir Trust has shifted the prasad and flowers stalls to Veer Kunwar Singh Park from near the temple.

This year, devotees can queue up from 10pm on April 4 to 2pm on April 5, as auspicious time ends by 12.30pm on April 5.

The other arrangements the trust has made are bringing 10 priests from Ayodhya, setting up shamiana (shade) from the temple to the GPO roundabout, deployment of 500 security personnel an magistrates, installation of closed-circuit television cameras apart from the 41 CCTVs already installed on the temple premises.

During the meeting, the Patna DM had issued an order to deploy adequate forces and magistrates apart from a medical team along with an ambulance.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Abhishek Kumar Singh and superintendent of police (traffic) P.K. Das were present.

The trust has also arranged for a bus to drop off devotees from the temple to the GPO roundabout.

Moreover, the centre of attraction would be a Ram Navami procession organised by BJP Bankipore MLA Nitin Navin which would congregate at Dakbungalow roundabout passing through Fraser Road.

On Saturday, Navin, along with Digha MLA Sanjeev Chourasia and Bihar BJP head Nityanand Rai, held a meeting at the temple.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar and Governor Ram Nath Kovind will also take part in the procession along with several BJP leaders and Hindu political activist Sadhvi Rithambara.

Navin, who has been organising the procession for the past eight years, said: "I have invited heads of all political parties in Bihar along with few Union ministers such as Giriraj Singh and Ram Kripal Yadav. Others would includes Members of Parliament C.P. Thakur, R.K. Sinha and Gopal Narayan Singh. From the BJP's state unit, Sushil Kumar Modi, Prem Kumar and state unit head Nityanand Rai will be present."

This would be the third consecutive time that chief minister Nitish will take part in the procession.

Altogether 27 processions from different places in Patna will be on the streets of Patna and their procession will end at Hanuman Mandir. Artists from Punjab, Mathura and Calcutta have been invited to perform.

The roads of Patna are already fluttering with saffron flags and the Dakbungalow stretch has been decorated with hoardings and banners depicting Lord Ram and Hanuman.