Gaya, Dec. 23: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today pointed out lapses in the ongoing arrangements being made for Kalchakra puja of the Buddhists starting on January 3 in Bodhgaya.
He expressed displeasure on the size and number of entry gates at Kalchakra grounds, the venue of the Kalchakra puja. He was also disappointed with the low height of the pandal, overhead electric wires in and around Bodhgaya.
Nitish also conducted a meeting with administrative officials at the library of Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC). During inspection of the Kalchakra grounds, Nitish said the entry gates to the venue should have been wider. Also, there should have been more entry gates at the ground.
There are eight entry gates at Kalchakra. "The height of the pandal is low. More than 50,000 devotees will sit together for prayers. They will feel suffocated. Make sure the pandal is fire-proof. I had visited Bodhgaya during earlier Kalchakra pujas and have experience about the arrangements," he told the district administration officials accompanying him.
During his visit to the World Heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara, Kalchakra and at the review meeting, he focused on the safety of the devotees.
The CM told the managing director of South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) to ensure safety to the devotees from overhead wires.
Nitish was informed during the meeting at BTMC that 300 toilets have been made for 10,000 devotees who will be staying at Magadh University.
"Ensure devotees are not charged too much for accommodation at private inns. There should not be cash problems. Make available sufficient number of mobile ATMs," Nitish said.
At the review meeting, health minister of Tibetan government in exile, Wangchuk, told Nitish that this time 2 lakh devotees are expected to arrive for the Kalchakra puja, while in 2012 the number of participants was more than three lakh. Wangchuk cited demonetisation the reason behind lower footfall.
Nitish asked director-general of police to depute a senior police officer in Bodhgaya, especially for the Kalchakra puja. The inspector-general of anti-terrorism squad (ATS) will also camp in Bodhgaya during the Kalchakra puja for the security of Dalai Lama.
"Safety of devotees should be top priority for the administration," he said.
Nitish reviewed arrangements being made for solid waste management, parking and more. He directed officials to ensure availability of sufficient number of e-rickshaws for elderly and differently-abled people around Mahabodhi Mahavihara and the Kalchakra ground.
Governance pat
Nitish Kumar today said the state's grievance redressal law has strengthened good governance as more than 78,000 complaints have been sorted out under the mechanism in nearly six months.
Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Act was launched on June 5 - the day Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan started "total revolution" in 1974.
Addressing a Chetna Sabha in the district headquarters of Kaimur as part of his Nishchay Yatra, Nitish said: "In a short period since its launch in June, over 1.7 lakh complaints were registered under the Act, out of which 78,662 have been redressed."
Lauding the results, Nitish said: "It is a step forward to the Janata ke Darbar Mein Mukhya Mantri that I ran for 10 years after first assuming power in 2005. For implementation of the Act, Lok Sikhayat Nivaran Kendra (public grievances redressal centre) has been opened at the district and sub-division levels across the state, where a person could submit his application and a complaint would be redressed in a fixed time frame."
