An army officer raised concern over constructions at a ghat along the Hooghly where the Ganga aarti is performed every evening, an official of the civic body said.
The officer raised the concern at a meeting with Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and state government officials on Monday.
The defence ministry is the custodian of the Maidan and a stretch along the Hooghly.The army officer asked civic officials to think about whether the structure at the Baje Kadamtala Ghat was necessary, said the civic official.
Other issues like reducing snarls at the bus terminus outside the ghat, hindrance-free access to the ghat and construction of toilets in the vicinity were also discussed.
“On average, about 2,000 people come on Saturdays and Sundays to watch the aarti, but the space is not adequate to accommodate so many people. There were also discussions on whether there should be an upper limit on the number of people who can be allowed entry,” said a KMC official.
Structure at the ghat
The KMC has built a small enclosure for a deity at the southeastern corner of the ghat. KMC officials who were present at the meeting said the army officer raised concerns about this construction and said if new constructions were allowed along the riverbank, the entire bank would be dotted with structures.
Sources in the civic body said that the KMC took permission from the army to organise the aarti on the riverbank, but no permission was taken for the construction of the enclosure. “Defence ministry is the custodian of a stretch of the riverbank, including the Baje Kadamtala Ghat,” said a KMC official.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Ganga aarti on March 2. The KMC made arrangements for the aarti after Mamata asked Kolkata’s mayor Firhad Hakim to make preparations so that Ganga aarti could be held along the Hooghly.
Cleaner surroundings
A number of inter-state buses start their journey and also terminate outside the Baje Kadamtala Ghat. The buses are often parked in two lines eating up a portion of the road. Besides, goods vehicles are also loaded at the terminus at times. In Monday’s meeting, officials discussed the need to declutter the bus terminus.
Crowd control
The number of visitors has kept swelling and on weekends, the ghat teems with people, said civic officials. The turnout has led to discussions on how to regulate the crowd better. “We have suggested that there could be a manual rail gate since there are Circular Railway tracks and people have to cross the tracks to reach the ghat,” said a KMC official.
