Aug 12, 2015: PATNA: A mini township, to be known as tent city, will be developed in 26 acre area in Saran district to accommodate lakhs of Sikh pilgrims likely to visit Patna Saheb during the Guru Gobind Singh's 350th birth anniversary celebration in January, 2017. The township will be equipped with all the modern facilities.
A joint team of the gurdwara managing committee and divisional commissioner, Saran, will identify the land before August 15. This was decided at a high-level meeting held recently under the chairmanship of CM Nitish Kumar, said an official. Lakhs of pilgrims from across the world are expected to visit the Patna Saheb gurdwara in 2017.
After identifying the land, the officials would work out a plan for developing basic civic amenities like water supply, electricity, sewerage and road connectivity. The government plans to develop it by the end of next year, said an official.
Two hundred beds would be added to the Guru Gobind Singh hospital in Patna City area for providing basic healthcare to the visiting pilgrims. On the law and order front, the ongoing construction work of Chowk police station would be completed at the earliest. CCTV cameras would also be installed in the Patna City area to avoid any untoward incident during the celebration.
The CM has directed chief secretary Anjani K Singh to review the ongoing progress work in the third week of this month. The South Bihar Power Distribution Company has been entrusted with the task to provide uninterrupted power supply to the 'tent city'.
An approach road from Patna Saheb to Patna Ghat railway station would be developed to manage traffic. The ministry of railways would be asked to develop Patna Ghat station as a full-fledged terminal to facilitate seamless travel for thousands of visiting pilgrims.
The urban and housing development department has been asked to send a proposal to the chairman, Railway Board, for construction of a two-lane road and to widen the road near Patna Ghat railway station.
The government is also contemplating to give 3200 square feet of nearby open land to the gurdwara management committee on lease to accommodate the pilgrims. The state road construction department has been directed to widen 30 nearby roads for providing more space for heavy vehicles.
Urban development and housing development department principal secretary Amrit Lal Meena briefed the CM about the progress made in this regard.