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Bihar government finally recognizes significances of Sultanganj’s month long Shravani Mela!

State government is all set to upgrade the status of Shravani Mela as state’s Mela this time. Shravani Mela will commence this year from July 28, at the banks of river Ganga at Sultanganj.

Ajgayibee nath temple at Sultanganj.

As per instruction from the state government, administration of Bhagalpur has sent 14 pages proposal with the content of the history and other Mela related affairs recently to the state’s revenue department. State’s land and revenue minister, Ram Narayan Mandal also informed that the government has initiated for giving Shravani Mela as status of state’s Mela. He said the state’s chief secretary has been asked to complete all the formalities with district magistrate. “The state revenue department will forward the proposal for making Shravani as state’s Mela to the cabinet for cabinet’s approval,” he informed.

Meanwhile, district magistrate, Bhagalpur, Pranav Kumar told that a special messenger was sent to the principal secretary of state’s revenue department on June 9 with the proposal as per the directive from state headquarters. According to him in the proposal there was brief history and significance of

Devotes at bank of river Ganga at Sultanganj.

the month long Mela in which lakhs of saffron-clad pilgrims not only from different parts of the country but also from abroad fetch holly Ganga water and walk barefooted to the temple of Lord Baidhyanath at Deoghar in neighboiuring Jharkhand while covering the distance of 110 km.

The demand of making Shravani Mela as state’s Mela get momentum from 2013 onwards when correspondents were started between the state headquarters and district administration here. Prior to that demand for it had been continuing for more than last two decades.

Kumar however told today that every year government arranged funds for the month long Mela but after getting the status of state’s Mela, the nomenclature of the Mela would automatically upgraded with some special protocols that  curtain flow of money as well as having many avenues to run the Mela more systemically. “We are expecting the day of the inauguration of the Mela this time on July 28, the announcement for it could be done,” Kumar told.

“In the pattern of  Har ki Pouri of Haridwar, the river banks of Ganga at Sultanganj would developed as proposed in the proposal,” the source pointed out.  But the source express its concern over  the course change of the river often and subsequently getting the river dried are some main

Shravani Mela rolls in full swing.

challenges before the Mela as sometimes the flow of the river spread away from the river banks here. “The administration could request the concerned departments like national council for river Ganga for removing the silts in the river beds which divert the river’s flow or to make channels to divert water flows towards the river banks at Sultanganj,” the source pointed out.

According to sources, there are several proposals also were sent to state’s revenue department.  Like renovation of river banks, making bypass road at Sultanganj township to avoid the chaotic situation mainly owing to heavy rush of pilgrims, making sanitary and other civic systems more effective, water treatment plant for making the river free from pollution from the sewerages of Sultanganj township and its surrounding parts etc.