On the anvil: Online booking system for pujas, hiring boats at Sangam

Soon, devotees and tourists coming to the Sangam will no longer have to pay arbitrary money for religious ceremonies at temples on the banks, or for hiring a boat to take a dip at the holy confluence.

Prayagraj Mela authority has decided that an online booking system will now be developed using which people will be able to book a puja that they wish to perform and hire a boat while sitting in the comfort of their homes.

They will be able to perform puja at the given date and time at the temple of their choice here at Sangam. This proposal was given a go-ahead at the meeting of the Mela Authority, chaired by divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal recently. District magistrate Sanjay Khatri and vice-chairman of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), Arvind Chauhan, too were present during this important meeting.

It was acknowledged in the meeting that tourists coming from far off places neither know the timing of aarti nor have any information about worship, boats etc. It would be better if there is an online system for this, officials said.

The meeting also decided that work for darshan of Akshayavat located inside the Akbar Fort should be expedited. Recently, the PDA had made a proposal under which the path for the circumambulation of Akshayavat has been prepared. Instructions were given in the meeting that work for the same should be started at the earliest.

“Following the decision taken at the meeting, now even common tourists visiting Sangam will be able to use motorised boats at fair rent,” said Arivind Chauhan, V-C, PDA. The divisional commissioner has instructed to prepare a comprehensive plan in this direction and issue a rate list for hiring both ordinary and motorised boats, he added.

Currently, common devotees travel by ordinary boats. Although, motorised boats can be hired from the boat club, but because of their distance from the Sangam, their rates are very high.

Officials at the meeting expressed unhappiness on the issue of lack of adequate cleanliness in the Sangam area. The divisional commissioner instructed that CCTV footage should be scrutinised to take the location of sanitation workers deployed in the area.

It has also been decided that the district administration will take the land for the SSP office, proposed to be constructed at the Mela area on an annual lease of ₹1. After getting the land on lease from the defence department, the Mela authority will set up the SSP office. This will help in comprehensive security in this area, said divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal.

The meeting also gave a go-ahead to the proposal to revamp three temples of Sangam city. The future visit to these temples will offer the same sight to the devotees as an ashram mentioned in Ram Charit Manas or other religious texts. There will also be a Yagyashala near the temples and a cowshed. A place will be developed for worshiping and a Yatri Niwas will also be built nearby so that the people coming here can stay.

The three temples of the city shortlisted for the initiative include Nagvasuki temple of Daraganj, the Takshak Tirth temple of Dariyabad and third being Bharadwaj Ashram.