Basic Facilities

Gangasagar is the largest congregation in eastern India where people visit with a belief that a dip into the holy waters can destroy sins. This belief pours millions of pilgrims every year on the banks of Gangasagar. Prioritizing health care, safety, security, and basic needs of this crowd, the administration is diligent in providing the basic facilities.

Adequate light at night

Gangasagar can only become a home away from home for the pilgrims when their safety will be looked after. In a large congregation, women, seniors, and children fall prey to the predators. Thus, properly illuminated lights will be up all night, ensuring no dangers for the visitors.

ATM

Preparing it for Gangasagar 2023 is like a herculean task, especially when its accessibility is far-fetched from the mainland. In cases like these, emergency needs are quite difficult to serve. So, ATMs are being installed in the mela province to cope with crisis situations.

24/7 CCTV monitoring

Making the largest congregation of faith a peaceful one requires constant monitoring inside the mela province. Keeping the safety of pilgrims in the first place, the entire area is kept under the surveillance of 1150 CCTV cameras.

Drinking Water

Pure drinking water is one of the primary needs of humans existing on earth. Polluted water has been the carrier of various disease outbreaks and water-borne sicknesses. Thus, the consumption of quality drinking water was kept in check at every step. Around 50 lakh water pouches will be distributed in mela province.

Water Divers

About 2100 Civil Defence Volunteers and Deep Divers, will be deployed for disaster response. 10 temporary fire stations with 25 fire tenders will be placed at strategic locations. Accidental Insurance Coverage for pilgrims, Govt. Officials, Police, NGO, Transport, and Media personnel of Rs.5 lakh per person will be provided from 8th to 17th January 2023.

Emergency fire Evacuation services

In a fair of devotion like Gangasagar, millions of people flood out to be a part of moksha. In such instances, unfortunate events can occur anytime. Thus, the team is always kept ready to combat occurrences. 10 temporary fire stations with 25 fire tenders will be placed at strategic locations. With proper training, emergency fire evacuation services are kept in check.

Guided Path Way

Being overcrowded, getting stamped and run over by pilgrims is always a possibility in eastern India’s largest congregation, Gangasagar. To avoid any mishap, the entire pathway for the journey to moksha has been under fencing and guided throughout.

Hogla Huts

In between the pursuit of moksha and the quest for the divine, lies the devotion to our earth. The district administration in their efforts erects thousands of Hogla cottages to provide solace and reduce the ecological footprints.

Emergency Medical Facilities

Making the second largest act of faith a success story requires exquisite arrangement and planning. Among these, healthcare is one of the seamless facilities. Air ambulance, a medically equipped helicopter will become a grand solution for the pilgrims in an emergency. It will aid people facing acute problems.

Medical Camp

In the land of Gangasagar, where millions, especially the seniors are visiting in the pursuit of moksha, health care remains an evergreen concern. Keeping this as the most pressing matter, the administration created a 24/7 intensive care unit. A total of 300 bedded health facilities will around Sagar and Kakdwip area. Air, water, and land ambulances will be deployed.

Pilgrims Sheds

“Guest is God”, India goes by this belief. Pilgrims are the guests at Gangasagar. Providing them with a safe shelter to live in is the duty of the host. So, the district administration erected various pilgrim sheds to relieve the exhaustion that pilgrims have to bear in the pursuit of moksha.

Public Toilets

The Health and safety of the pilgrims are the top priority for the district administration while organizing the Gangasagar mela. 10000 public toilets both temporary and permanent are built for pilgrims who visit the mela during Makar Sankranti. 7 Solid Waste Management Units will be functional. 30 number of e-carts will be deployed for garbage collection.

Sagar Bandhu for all types of assistance

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’ these lines come true even at Gangasagar when you meet ‘Sagar Bandhu’. He is an associate who will help pilgrims whenever in need. This year too, Sagar Bandhu will guide people about the probable mishaps while providing the necessary protection to fight against them.

Sanitation team for maintaining hygiene

Keeping the entire mela ground clean and sanitized was the biggest responsibility of the administration in 2023. Around 10000 toilets, along with 3000 personnel are deployed to achieve an eco-friendly mela. To win a battle against the over usage of plastics, thermocol & non-biodegradable materials are demolished. 30 e-carts are set for solid waste management.

Availability of Eco-Friendly product

To walk down the path of the divine in pursuit of moksha, one must purify their soul. But, we tend to keep ourselves clean and pollute our surroundings. This would incur nothing but the wrath of the mighty and the destruction of the planet. Thus, the district administration of South 24 Parganas disapproves of the usage of plastic. Instead, earth-friendly products will be distributed.

QR Code

Unique and Universal QR Code will be branded and placed in every corner of the Mela Ground. On scanning the code through mobiles, pilgrims can view and navigate to desired facilities like drinking water, ATMs, toilets, health centers, railway stations, May I Help You Kiosks and many more. The content to be displayed is in English and regional languages.